At least 90 people have been killed following a massive gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, according to state media, marking the country’s deadliest mining disaster in more than a decade.
The blast occurred at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Shanxi province at around 7:29pm local time on Friday while 247 workers were reportedly on duty underground.
More than 100 miners were rescued from the site, while hundreds of emergency responders were deployed in a desperate search for survivors. Authorities said 27 injured workers remain hospitalized, including one in critical condition. Most reportedly suffered from inhaling toxic gas.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to spare no effort in treating the injured and rescuing trapped miners. He also called for a full investigation into the cause of the explosion and demanded accountability for those responsible.
State media reported that dangerous levels of carbon monoxide — a highly toxic and odorless gas — were detected inside the mine following the explosion, although officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause of the disaster.
One survivor, miner Wang Yong, described scenes of panic underground after the blast.
“I smelled sulphur, the same smell you get from blasting,” he said. “I shouted at people to run. As we were running I could see people collapsing from the fumes. Then I blacked out too.”
He said he regained consciousness about an hour later and managed to escape with another worker.
Authorities have reportedly detained several members of the mine’s management team as investigations continue.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said it had dispatched 345 rescue personnel from six separate rescue teams to assist operations at the mine.
The Liushenyu mine had previously been identified by China’s National Mine Safety Administration as a site with “severe safety hazards” in 2024. Reports also indicate that Tongzhou Group, the company operating the mine, received two administrative penalties earlier this year over safety violations.
Shanxi province is China’s largest coal-producing region, accounting for more than a quarter of the country’s total coal output.
Although China has tightened mining safety regulations and cracked down on illegal mining operations in recent years, deadly accidents continue to occur.
In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia killed 53 people, while a major explosion in Heilongjiang province in 2009 claimed more than 100 lives.
China remains the world’s largest consumer of coal and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, despite rapidly expanding renewable energy production.
The disaster comes only days after visits to China by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.