BEIJING, MAY 23 (V7N) -  A catastrophic gas explosion ripped through the Liushenyu coal mine in northern China's Shanxi province, killing at least 90 miners and injuring over a hundred more. State media reported the tragedy on Saturday, marking it as the country’s worst mining disaster in 17 years.

The blast occurred deep underground at 7:29 PM (1129 GMT) on Friday, trapping scores of workers in a dense pocket of toxic gas and smoke. At the time of the explosion, a total of 247 miners were working shifts down the shafts.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, the death toll spiked sharply on Saturday morning as rescue teams penetrated the deeper recesses of the mine.

Total Underground During Blast: 247 Workers
Confirmed Fatalities: 90 Miners
Hospitalized for Treatment: 123 Miners (4 in Critical Condition)
Discharged/Returned Home: 33 MinersA massive emergency response was triggered immediately following the blast. A total of 755 emergency rescue and medical personnel were dispatched to the Liushenyu site. Helmeted search-and-rescue teams, equipped with breathing apparatuses, worked through Saturday afternoon utilizing stretchers to pull survivors from the shafts, where early monitoring showed that levels of carbon monoxide—a highly toxic, odorless gas—had vastly exceeded legal safety limits.

"There was a sudden puff of thick smoke and I immediately smelled sulphur. I saw people right next to me choking on the fumes before I lost consciousness and fainted. I lay down there for about an hour before waking up. I managed to call out to the people nearest to me, and we stumbled out of the mine together."

— Wang Yong, Injured Miner and Survivor

While mining safety across China has statistically improved over the last few decades due to modernized infrastructure, major accidents continue to plague the sector—frequently driven by lax enforcement of safety protocols and intense production demands. China remains the world's top consumer of coal, with Shanxi province serving as the absolute heart of the country's coal-mining industry.

Heilongjiang Blast (108 Dead)
November 2009

A massive explosion at a coal mine in the northeastern Heilongjiang province kills 108 workers, standing as the benchmark disaster of the modern mining era.

Inner Mongolia Collapse (53 Dead)
February 2023

An open-pit coal mine structure completely collapses in the Inner Mongolia region, burying machinery and killing 53 people.

Shanxi Liushenyu Explosion (90 Dead)
May 22, 2026

A gas explosion and subsequent carbon monoxide poisoning at the Liushenyu mine kills 90, registering as the deadliest industry accident in 17 years.

In the wake of the disaster, President Xi Jinping issued an order demanding "all-out efforts" to treat the hospitalized survivors and directed ministries to launch a thorough, transparent investigation. Xi emphasized that all regions must draw severe lessons from the Shanxi accident, remain constantly vigilant regarding workplace safety, and resolutely prevent catastrophic industrial events.

State news agency Xinhua confirmed that a corporate executive "responsible for" the operating company has already been detained and placed under administrative control by law enforcement in accordance with the law.

END/WD/RH/