Summary A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has killed 90 people, state media reports.
The blast at the Liushenyu mine in Shanxi province is China's deadliest mining disaster in over a decade.
Rescue teams are still searching for nine missing workers as officials investigate what caused the explosion.
A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has killed 90 people, according to state media, the country’s deadliest mining disaster in more than a decade.
“Rescue efforts are still underway. The number of casualties is still being tallied,” CCTV reported, adding that nine people were still missing at the mine in Shanxi province.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping earlier called for an “all-out rescue” of the missing, state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday, adding he also “urged a thorough investigation into its cause, with accountability pursued in accordance with the law.”
Earlier, Xinhua reported that carbon monoxide levels “exceeded limits” inside the Liushenyu coal mine in the city of Changzhi.
A team of 400 to 500 people were conducting underground rescue work, the Emergency Management Bureau of Qinyuan county, where the mine is located, told CNN. Province-level leaders have also arrived at the scene, it added.
Contacted by CNN, a person operating the phone at the company operating the mine – Shanxi Tongzhou Group Liushenyu Coal Industry – said they were “not aware of the situation,” and ended the call.
Coal is a major source of energy in China despite efforts in recent years to wean off the fossil fuel, and Shanxi is a top-producing province, accounting more than a quarter of the country’s coal.
The industry has a notorious safety record, with numerous deadly accidents.
Safety has improved since the early 2000s, but incidents continue to happen despite industry consolidation and repeated government orders for safety improvements.
In 2023, 53 workers were killed in a mine collapse in Inner Mongolia, state media reported.
The blast occurred at 7:30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. ET) on Friday, when 247 workers were underground.
At least 201 people were evacuated by 6:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to Xinhua.
The cause of the blast is under investigation, Xinhua said.
kaminaripancake on May 22nd, 2026 at 22:47 UTC »
Oh my god that’s horrible. I hope the government can get them out safely. What a tragedy, I know coal isn’t exactly safe but it’s still so sad how many people die each year. We really need to transition to renewable energies as quickly as possible
TheBestintheWest11 on May 22nd, 2026 at 22:17 UTC »
jeez another one. It's like every year this happens.....
cnn on May 22nd, 2026 at 22:09 UTC »
At least four people are dead and 90 others are trapped underground after carbon monoxide levels “exceeded limits” in a coal mine in northeast China on Friday night, according to state media.
Rescue efforts are continuing at the Liusheyu coal mine in Changzi City, Xinhua News reported. The accident happened at 9:43 p.m. local time (9:43 a.m. ET) when 247 workers were underground.
At least 157 people – including the four dead – were evacuated by 3:33 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to Xinhua.
At least 16 of those still trapped are in “critical condition,” state media reported.