Gas explosion at Chinese coal mine kills at least 90 workers

A gas explosion at a coal mine in China's Shanxi province killed at least 90 workers Friday evening, state media reported, making it the deadliest mining accident in the country in recent years.

The blast at the Liushenyu mine — flagged by China's National Mine Safety Administration in 2024 as a high-gas, disaster-prone facility — renews scrutiny of safety enforcement in the region that produces roughly a third of China's entire coal supply.

Of the 247 workers on duty at the time of the explosion, nine remained unaccounted for as of Saturday afternoon, according to Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency. More than 120 people were hospitalized, many suffering injuries from toxic gas exposure.

Chinese authorities moved quickly to assign accountability. Xinhua reported that "persons responsible for the company involved in the mine accident have been placed under control." Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a thorough investigation and full accountability, state media said.

The Liushenyu mine is operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons, according to state media. China's National Mine Safety Administration had placed the mine on its national disaster-prone registry in 2024, citing the facility's high gas content as a primary hazard.

Shanxi province produced 1.3 billion tons of coal last year — accounting for roughly one-third of China's national output — according to CCTV, the state broadcaster. The province has long been the center of the country's coal industry and has historically recorded a disproportionate share of China's mining casualties.

Hundreds of rescue workers and medical personnel were deployed to the site following the blast. The precise cause of the explosion remained under investigation as of Saturday, state media said.

China's coal mining sector has seen repeated large-scale accidents despite years of government pledges to strengthen safety enforcement. Friday's explosion at Liushenyu is the deadliest single mining incident in the country in recent years, Xinhua reported, as rescue and investigation operations continued Saturday.