23 May 2026 , 09:33
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At least 90 people have been killed after a gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine, according to state media.
Rescue operations at the site in Changzhi city are ongoing, Xinhua news agency reported.
The blast occurred at about 7.30pm local time on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in the northern province of Shanxi.
A total of 247 workers were underground at the time, most of whom were brought to the surface by Saturday morning, Xinhua said.
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, urged authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations.
He ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident and called for strict accountability in accordance with the law.
Mr Xi said: “All regions and departments must draw lessons from this accident, remain constantly vigilant regarding workplace safety ... and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and catastrophic accidents.”
Executives of the company responsible for operating the mine have been detained, according to Xinhua.
Workers in ‘critical condition’
State media reports suggest that carbon monoxide levels had exceeded safe limits at the underground site. Some of the workers rescued by emergency services are in a “critical condition”.
CCTV footage showed rescuers carrying stretchers towards the site from ambulances parked further away. China’s ministry of emergency management sent 345 workers to support the operation.
Most of China’s coal mines are located in the northern provinces, particularly in Shanxi, which accounts for more than a quarter of China’s total coal output.
Mine safety in the country has improved in recent decades, but accidents still occur owing to lax safety protocols and a lack of regulation.
In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in the northern Inner Mongolia region killed 53 people.
More than 100 people were killed in 2009 after an explosion at a site in the north-eastern Heilongjiang province in China.
World Affairs Correspondent