The death toll from a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province has jumped to 90, state media CCTV reported on Saturday.
The gas explosion occurred late on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, with 247 workers on duty underground, state media Xinhua reported earlier in the day.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations, while ordering a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and strict accountability in accordance with the law, according to Xinhua.
Premier Li Qiang echoed the instructions, calling for timely and accurate release of information and rigorous accountability.
Rescue operations were ongoing and the cause of the accident was under investigation, according to the local emergency management authority in Qinyuan.
China has significantly reduced coal mine fatalities – often caused by gas explosions or flooding – since the early 2000s through more stringent regulations and safer practices.
The death toll from a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province has jumped to 90, state media CCTV reported on Saturday. Pictured: Rescuers are attending the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city
Rescuers work at the site following a gas explosion at Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county
This photo taken on May 23, 2026 shows a scene at the rescue site of the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County of Changzhi City, north China’s Shanxi Province
The Liushenyu incident, though, was one of the deadliest reported in China in the past decade.
Executives of the company responsible for the mine have been detained, Xinhua reported.
Earlier Xinhua had reported only eight dead, with more than 200 people brought safely to the surface. It did not explain the jump in the death toll.
Shanxi, one of China’s poorer provinces, is the country’s coal-mining capital.
Mine safety in the country has improved in recent decades, but accidents still occur in an industry where safety protocols are often lax and regulations vague.
In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in the northern Inner Mongolia region killed 53 people.
And in 2009, an explosion at a mine in northeastern Heilongjiang province killed more than 100.
China is the world’s top consumer of coal and the largest greenhouse gas emitter, despite installing renewable energy capacity at record speed.
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