Death toll climbs to 90 after explosion at Chinese coal mine

Death toll from an explosion at a coal mine in China rose to at least 90. The incident, believed to have been triggered by a gas explosion, is recorded as China’s worst mining disaster in 17 years.

Xinhua News Agency, as reported by AFP, on Saturday 23 May 2026, said the explosion rocked the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi Province on Friday night, 22 May, at about 19:29 local time.

A total of 247 workers were underground when the blast occurred, with Xinhua’s initial report indicating that 201 of them had been evacuated to the surface by Saturday morning.

But Xinhua later reported a drastic increase in the death toll, confirming at least 90 killed.

A total of 345 emergency personnel were deployed to the scene, where rescuers had previously conducted an intensive search for nine people still unaccounted for.

The blast on Friday 22 May was the worst mining disaster in China since 2009, when at least 108 people died in a mine explosion in Heilongjiang Province.

President Xi Jinping urged “maximum effort” to care for the injured and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

“Xi emphasised that all regions and departments must learn lessons from the accident, remain vigilant about workplace safety… and firmly prevent and suppress the occurrence of large and devastating accidents,” Xi’s words as quoted by Xinhua.

Xinhua added that someone who was “responsible” for the company involved in the explosion had been placed under supervision in accordance with the law.

The incident followed earlier Xinhua reports that carbon monoxide — a highly toxic and odourless gas — was detected “above the limit” in the mine area. Some of those trapped underground were reported to be in critical condition.

The death toll rose sharply as Saturday morning arrived local time.

Shanxi, one of the poorest provinces in China, is a hub for coal mines in the country.

Mine safety in China has improved over the past decades. But accidents still occur frequently in an industry where safety protocols are often lax.

China is the world’s largest consumer of coal and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, though it has installed renewable energy capacity at a record pace.