Shanxi coal mine explosion 82 killed when a gas blast struck the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Qinyuan County, officials said, with 247 workers reported underground at the time and more than 100 people rescued.
Local authorities and state media reported 82 deaths and two people missing, while earlier broadcasts had put the toll higher before it was revised down, according to Xinhua and Reuters.
State media said 128 people were being treated in hospital, including two in critical condition, and that many injuries resulted from inhaling toxic gas after underground carbon monoxide monitors triggered an alarm.
Rescuers faced access problems because water had built up near the blast site and because mine blueprints did not match actual conditions, state media reported, prompting the use of mine inspection robots fitted with gas sensors and infrared cameras.
Response Effort And Investigation
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management dispatched 345 personnel from six rescue teams and local emergency authorities said hundreds of rescuers were at the scene, as reported by state outlets including Xinhua and CCTV.
Executives of the Shanxi Tongzhou Group unit that operates the Liushenyu Mine have been detained, Xinhua reported, and the State Council said a rigorous investigation would be carried out with those responsible to be held accountable.
President Xi Jinping called for all-out rescue efforts, for the injured to receive treatment and for a thorough probe into the cause, state media said, while local officials ordered safety inspections across Shanxi province.
The mine operator was listed as having safety hazards in a 2024 government record and received administrative penalties in 2025, state reports noted, underscoring official concern about the site’s safety history.
News agencies and state broadcasters placed the incident in context by noting Shanxi’s role as a major coal producer and by referencing past deadly mining accidents, while rescue work and the formal investigation continued, according to Reuters, BBC and other outlets.
