Coal mine explosion in China kills 90 people, state media say – USA News 24 May 2026

Date: May 24, 2026 | Source: Associated Press | Category: USA News

Overview

A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s Shanxi province has killed at least 90 people. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday that the accident at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine happened Friday evening. Around 247 workers were on duty at the…

Key Details

1 of 5 | In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical staff attend to an injured worker at a hospital in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

2 of 5 | In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers prepare to descend into a coal mine in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

3 of 5 | In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, an ambulance is seen outside a coal mine in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

4 of 5 | In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers pass by an ambulance in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

5 of 5 | This photo released by Xinhua News Agency, shows a scene at the rescue site of the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, China’s Shanxi Province, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical staff attend to an injured worker at a hospital in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers prepare to descend into a coal mine in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, an ambulance is seen outside a coal mine in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers pass by an ambulance in the aftermath of an explosion at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county, northern China’s Shanxi Province on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

This photo released by Xinhua News Agency, shows a scene at the rescue site of the Liushenyu coal mine in Changzhi city, China’s Shanxi Province, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Cao Yang/Xinhua via AP)

BEIJING (AP) — A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern Shanxi province killed at least 82 people, local officials said Saturday, in what was the country’s deadliest mining accident in recent years.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the accident at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening.

At a news conference late Saturday, local authorities said 82 were dead and that more than 120 people were hospitalized. Two were still missing. The death toll was a revised, lower number from earlier reports by state broadcaster CCTV that said 90 had died.

The scene at the coal mine was “chaotic” in the immediate aftermath of the accident, they said, and figures provided at the time were initial and not definite.

The explosion was under investigation, local officials said, adding there were “serious violations” of the law by the mine’s operator. They did not elaborate on any specific violations.

Earlier on Saturday, Xinhua reported that rescue work was pressing on a day after the accident, with hundreds of rescuers and medical personnel sent to the site. Among the injured, many were hurt by toxic gas, according to CCTV.

Authorities investigate safety lapses after China coal mine blast kills at least 82 3 MIN READ Here are some of China’s major coal mining disasters this century 1 MIN READ Mexican miner rescued after nearly 14 days in a flooded Sinaloa mine 1 MIN READ Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an all-out effort to rescue the missing, Xinhua reported. Xi also called for a “thorough investigation” and accountability “in accordance with the law.”

Xinhua later reported that those responsible for the company involved in the mine accident have been “placed under control,” citing the local emergency management bureau.

An investigation team sent by China’s powerful State Council, equivalent to the country’s Cabinet, would be conducting a “rigorous and uncompromising” probe into the deadly explosion, a separate Xinhua report said following Xi’s remarks.

Wang Yong, one of the hospitalized miners, told CCTV in a video interview that he smelled sulfur “like firecrackers” and saw smoke.

“I told people to run,” he said. “As I ran, I saw people being choked by the smoke. And then I blacked out.”

The state broadcaster also reported that blueprints provided by the coal mine did not match the actual layout, hampering rescue efforts.

The coal mine, operated by the Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tons, was placed on a national list of disaster-prone coal mines by China’s National Mine Safety Administration in 2024 for having “high gas content.”

Shanxi province is known as China’s main coal mining province. With a size larger than Greece and a population of around 34 million, the province’s hundreds of thousands of miners dug 1.3 billion tons of coal last year, almost a third of China’s total.

In China, coal remains a key energy source due to its lower cost and high availability, even as the country accelerates its transition toward green energy. Mining disasters have been common although authorities had implemented measures to improve safety over the past years.

In February 2023, 53 people were killed after a collapse at an open-pit mine in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region. In November 2009, an explosion at a mine in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province killed 108, according to state media.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When was this news published?: May 24, 2026
What is this news about?: A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s Shanxi province has killed at least 90 people. The official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday that the accident at Changzhi city’s Liushenyu coal mine happened Friday evening. Around 247 workers were on duty at the…
Which exams cover this topic?: UPSC, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, Railway RRB, IBPS, SBI PO, and all State PSC exams.
Who reported this news?: Associated Press

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Source: Associated Press

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