Cause still unclear Worst mine disaster in years - over 90 workers die in China
At least 90 people have died in a coal mine in northern China, according to state media. The cause is still unclear.
23.05.2026, 07:49
23.05.2026, 13:35
SDA
It is probably China's most devastating mining accident in over a decade: At least 90 people have died following a gas explosion in a coal mine in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, according to Chinese state media. It is still unclear whether more people are still trapped in the coal mine. It is possible that the death toll could rise again.
Rescue work is continuing at full speed more than 20 hours after the gas explosion. According to Chinese state media, around 750 rescue workers have been mobilized. According to this, the injuries of most of the patients currently being treated in the surrounding hospitals were caused by poisonous gases.
In fact, many questions surrounding the accident remain unanswered. On Saturday morning, it was initially reported that a total of 201 people had been rescued from the mine, including eight fatalities. It is still unclear why the death toll was so abruptly revised upwards.
Person responsible arrested
Meanwhile, China's head of state Xi Jinping called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. Those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with the law, Xi said according to state news agency Xinhua. Premier Li Qiang also announced increased nationwide supervision of occupational safety and safety inspections. As far as is known at present, two people have been taken into custody by the authorities, including the mine operator.
The accident occurred on Friday evening in a mine in Qinyuan County, as reported by China's state agency Xinhua. According to current information, 247 people were underground during the explosion. According to Chinese reports, the mine was operated in a three-shift system and the accident occurred during a shift change.
According to Chinese reports, the mine consists of a total of six shafts and has a production capacity of 1.2 million tons per year. According to the state newspaper The Paper, it was classified by the local authorities as a mine with "high gas pollution". This apparently refers to a high level of highly flammable methane, which can accumulate in coal mines. It is unclear whether the authorities' classification has resulted in specific safety requirements.
Shanxi province is considered one of the centers of the Chinese coal industry. Even though China has increasingly turned to renewable energies in recent years, coal still accounts for just over half of the country's total energy consumption.
The coal industry in Shanxi is notorious for its poor safety standards. In the past, serious accidents with many fatalities have repeatedly occurred in China, even though the implementation of safety standards has improved noticeably in recent years.
The last major mining accident in China occurred in early 2023. 53 people died in a mine collapse in Inner Mongolia, according to Chinese state media. As a result, the central government in Beijing introduced stricter safety requirements for coal mining.
