China Coal Mine Blast Kills 90 in Deadliest Accident Since 2009
A gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, northern China, killed at least 90 people on Friday evening, May 22, state media reported on Saturday. The blast occurred at 19:29 China Standard Time at the mine in Qinyuan County, Changzhi City, with 247 workers underground at the time. The accident is China’s deadliest mining disaster in recent years, according to state media. WikipediaNBC Connecticut
The agency initially reported early Saturday that eight people were killed and 38 were trapped underground. Nine were still unaccounted for as of Saturday afternoon, Xinhua said. More than 120 people were hospitalised, and rescue operations were still active nearly 20 hours after the explosion. NBC New York
What Happened Underground
Local authorities had been alerted on the night of May 22 that an underground carbon monoxide sensor at the Liushenyu mine had triggered an alarm, indicating that carbon monoxide levels had “exceeded limits.” The explosion followed shortly after. Wikipedia
Wang Yong, one of the hospitalised miners, described the moment the blast hit. “I smelled sulfur ‘like firecrackers’ and saw smoke,” he told CCTV in a video interview. “I told people to run. As I ran, I saw people being choked by the smoke. And then I blacked out.” CBS News
Among the injured, many were hurt by toxic gas, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation as of Saturday afternoon, Xinhua reported. NPR
Rescue Complications
Getting to survivors has been harder than it should have been. Rescue efforts were complicated by the fact that the underground map provided by the coal mining company and distributed among rescue teams did not match the actual underground conditions, state-run Beijing News reported. This meant rescuers had to search all tunnels rather than targeting specific locations. KESQ
Underground workers are also required to carry a personal GPS tracker, but some workers did not have their device with them at the time of the explosion. KESQ
The Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management sent 345 personnel from six rescue teams to assist. The Emergency Management Bureau of Qinyuan County told CNN that a team of 400 to 500 people were conducting underground rescue work, and that province-level leaders had arrived at the site. Wikipedia
Xi Jinping and Li Qiang Respond
Chinese President Xi Jinping intervened directly on Saturday. Xi called for an “all-out rescue” of those missing and “stressed the need to make every effort to treat the injured, organise search and rescue operations scientifically and properly handle the aftermath.” He also urged “a thorough investigation into its cause, with accountability pursued in accordance with the law,” according to Xinhua. Wikipedia
Xi instructed Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing to attend the scene on Saturday evening to guide the emergency response operation, according to state media. KESQ
Premier Li Qiang also called for the timely and accurate release of information and rigorous accountability. Wikipedia
Xinhua reported that “persons responsible for the company involved in the mine accident have been placed under control,” citing the local emergency management bureau. The phone operator at Shanxi Tongzhou Group Liushenyu Coal Industry told CNN on Saturday that they were “not aware of the situation” when asked for comment. NBC Connecticut
A Mine That Was Already on a Safety Watchlist
The Liushenyu Coal Mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group Liushenyu Coal Industry, was listed in 2024 as one of 1,128 mines cited for “severe safety hazards” by the Chinese National Mine Safety Administration. The mine has an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons and was flagged specifically for having “high gas content.” WikipediaNBC Connecticut
That warning was on the books nearly two years before 247 workers entered the mine on a Friday evening. The failure to act on the watchlist designation will likely become a central focus of any government investigation.
A crackdown on illegal mining activities, including falsification of safety monitoring, hidden operations, and unclear reporting on the number of people going underground, is believed to be a priority for the central government, according to CCTV. KESQ
Shanxi’s Place in China’s Coal Economy
Shanxi province is known as China’s main coal mining province. With a size larger than Greece and a population of around 34 million, the province’s hundreds of thousands of miners dug 1.3 billion tons of coal last year, or almost a third of China’s total. NBC Connecticut
Coal accounts for more than half of China’s energy consumption and plays a critical role in its energy security. Even as Beijing has pushed forward a green transition, the country has continued to expand coal infrastructure, including to ensure grid stability for renewable energy sources like wind and solar. That continued dependence on coal means mines like Liushenyu remain active — and hazardous. CNN
Background
China’s safety record in coal mining has improved significantly since the early 2000s, when multiple incidents recorded death tolls above 100, alongside industry consolidation and tightened regulation. But tragedies continue to happen — typically followed by central government calls for more accountability and oversight. In November 2009, an explosion at a mine in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province killed 108, according to state media. In 2023, 53 workers were killed in a mine collapse in Inner Mongolia. The following year, Beijing implemented new coal-mining regulations putting more burden on operators to conduct checks, and local officials to enhance supervision. The Liushenyu explosion is the deadliest mining disaster in China in over a decade, CNN reported. CNN + 3
What Happens Next
A formal crackdown on illegal mining activities — including falsification of safety monitoring and unclear underground headcount reporting — has been signalled as a government priority in the aftermath of the blast, according to CCTV. Xi has ordered a “thorough investigation” with accountability pursued in accordance with the law, according to Xinhua. Persons responsible for the company have already been placed under legal control, according to the local emergency management bureau. Rescue operations for the nine miners still unaccounted for as of Saturday afternoon were continuing, with hundreds of personnel active at the site. Whether the investigation will result in criminal charges against operators or regulatory officials — as has occurred after previous major disasters — had not been announced by Saturday evening. KESQ + 2
