A gas explosion struck the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province, China, at 7:29 p.m. on May 22, 2026, trapping 247 workers underground at the time [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Rescue teams brought 201 workers safely to the surface by early May 23 [1, 2, 3, 8, 10]. Initial death reports of eight victims were later revised to 82 confirmed dead, with two still missing as of May 24 [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 9].

Authorities also reported 128 injured workers hospitalized, including four in critical or severe condition [4, 5, 6, 7, 9]. President Xi Jinping ordered "all-out efforts" to rescue and treat the injured and mandated a thorough investigation into the accident, stating that regions must "remain constantly vigilant regarding workplace safety" and "resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and catastrophic accidents" [1].

The Liushenyu mine is owned by the Shanxi Tongzhou Coal Coking Group. After the accident, all four of the company’s mines were closed and executives detained [4, 5, 6, 9]. Preliminary investigations found serious safety violations, including falsified safety data and unclear records of underground workers [11, 9]. Guo Xiaofang, head of Shanxi’s Qinyuan county, said "the company’s count of the number of workers was not clear, which led to the initial inaccurate number" [4].

The explosion occurred amid elevated carbon monoxide levels that exceeded safety limits before the blast [1, 2, 3, 8]. Wang Yong, a wounded survivor, described the moment: "I didn’t hear any sound at all, but then a cloud of smoke appeared... When the smoke came down, I shouted for people to run" [9]. A rescuer added, "As long as there is hope, we will make every possible effort" [9].

Shanxi province is the center of China’s coal-mining industry and is considered its coal-mining capital [1, 8, 9]. The Liushenyu coal mine has an annual production capacity of about 1.22 billion kg, while China’s total coal mined in 2025 was 4.91 trillion kg [4, 5, 6].

The blast is China’s deadliest coal mining accident since 2009, when 108 people died in a Heilongjiang mine explosion [4, 5, 6, 9]. State-run media on May 24 renewed calls for improved mining safety as the search continues for the two missing miners [4, 11, 9].