Updated May 23, 2026 — A gas explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, Shanxi province, killed at least 82 people and left more than 120 hospitalized, local officials said Saturday. Two people remained missing. State broadcaster CCTV earlier gave a higher toll of 90, which was later revised downward.
The blast occurred Friday evening. Rescue teams and medical personnel worked at the site through Saturday, with authorities saying many of the injured suffered from toxic gas inhalation. Local officials described the scene immediately after the accident as chaotic and said early casualty numbers were provisional.
Chinese state media said President Xi Jinping demanded an all-out rescue effort, a thorough investigation and that those responsible be held accountable under the law. A State Council investigation team was dispatched to carry out a “rigorous and uncompromising” probe, Xinhua reported. The local emergency management bureau said people responsible for the company involved have been “placed under control.” Officials also said the mine operator had committed “serious violations” of the law but gave no further details.
Rescuers were hampered by discrepancies between the mine’s blueprints and the actual layout, the state broadcaster reported. A hospitalized miner, Wang Yong, told CCTV he smelled sulfur “like firecrackers,” saw smoke and urged people to run, saying he watched others being choked by smoke before he lost consciousness.
The Liushenyu mine is run by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group and has an annual production capacity of about 1.2 million tons. China’s National Mine Safety Administration had placed the mine on a 2024 list of disaster-prone operations because of its high gas content.
Shanxi, the country’s main coal-producing province, covers an area larger than Greece and has roughly 34 million residents. Its mines produced about 1.3 billion tons of coal last year — nearly a third of China’s total output. Coal remains a major energy source in China because of its availability and cost, even as the country expands renewable energy.
Mining accidents have occurred regularly in China, though authorities have stepped up safety measures in recent years. Notable recent incidents include a February 2023 open-pit mine collapse in Inner Mongolia that killed 53 people and a November 2009 Heilongjiang mine explosion that killed 108, according to state media.