Dozens killed in Chinese coal mine explosion

A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern province of Shanxi has killed at least 90 people, state media reported, after dozens were said to be trapped underground.

The accident at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu mine happened on Friday evening and 247 workers were trapped underground, the official news agency Xinhua said.

The agency initially reported early on Saturday that eight people were killed and 38 were trapped underground.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, Xinhua reported, and rescue work is continuing.

Chinese president Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing and an investigation of the accident’s cause while holding those responsible accountable, according to Xinhua.

Shanxi province is known as China’s main coal mining province.

With an area larger than Greece and a population of around 34 million, the province’s hundreds of thousands of miners dug 1.3 billion tonnes (1.17 billion metric tonnes) of coal last year, or almost a third of China’s total.

Published: 23/05/2026 by Radio NewsHub