At least 90 killed in coal mine explosion, state media reports

The explosion happened at the Liushenyu Coal Mine

The explosion happened at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, run by the Tongzhou Group, in Shanxi Province.

Hundreds of rescuers rushed to the scene. Twenty-seven people are understood to remain in hospital receiving treatment, including one in critical condition. Rescue operations at the site are ongoing.

The blast occurred at 19:29 local time on Friday (11:29 GMT) at a coal mine in Shanxi, with 247 workers reportedly on duty at the time of the incident, according to the BBC.

Among those still in the hospital, one person is reported to be in critical condition, while the others have sustained minor injuries. Most were affected after inhaling a poisonous gas, according to state media, although the type of gas has not yet been identified.

Wang Yong, a minor injured in the explosion, told state media that he did not hear anything when it happened, but saw a sudden plume of smoke.

"I smelled sulphur, the same smell you get from blasting. I shouted at people to run. As we were running, I could see people collapsing from the fumes. Then I blacked out, too," he said.

"I lay there for about an hour or so before I came round on my own. I woke up the person next to me, and we got out together."

After the tragic incident, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for no effort to be spared in efforts to treat the injured and search for survivors.

Additionally, he asked the government to further investigate the cause of the accident and hold those responsible to account.

State media reported that officials running the coal mine have since been detained. The cause of the gas explosion has not yet been revealed, but reports said that carbon monoxide, a highly toxic and odourless gas, was found to have exceeded permitted levels in the mine.

China's Ministry of Emergency Management has sent 345 personnel from six rescue teams to help with the operation.

Back in 2024, the Liushenyu mine was listed as one of the "severe safety hazards" by the Chinese National Mine Safety Administration, according to the BBC.

The Tongzhou Group has already received two administrative penalties in 2025 over safety concerns.

Deadly accidents were once widespread in China’s coal mining industry in the early 2000s. Although safety standards have been strengthened in recent years, incidents continue to occur.

In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in the northern Inner Mongolia region left 53 people dead.

In 2009, an explosion at a mine in Heilongjiang province in the northeast claimed more than 100 lives.

China is the world’s largest consumer of coal and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, even as it continues to expand renewable energy capacity at a record pace.

The incident came just days after high-profile visits to the country by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.