Xi orders probe after deadly Shanxi coal mine blast kills dozens

A coal-mine gas explosion in Shanxi left at least 82 people dead and more than 120 hospitalized, while rescue crews searched for workers still missing underground. The blast struck at 7:29 p.m. Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, in Changzhi City, in north China’s Shanxi Province.

By late Saturday, local officials said two people remained missing. Later reports put the death toll at 90 and said nine workers were still unaccounted for as rescue efforts continued. Six emergency rescue teams, totaling 345 personnel, were sent to the scene, where state media said rescue and follow-up work remained underway.

Xi Jinping called for an all-out rescue of the missing and treatment of the injured, and urged authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause and hold those responsible to account in accordance with the law. Premier Li Qiang echoed those instructions, calling for timely and accurate release of information and rigorous accountability. State media said officials from Shanxi provincial authorities and Changzhi City were coordinating rescue operations and medical care for the injured.

The explosion, described as China’s deadliest mining accident in recent years, put a harsh spotlight back on the country’s coal sector and the dangers that persist in its mines. Shanxi is China’s main coal-mining province, which made the disaster especially significant for a region that remains central to the country’s energy supply and industrial base.

Around 247 workers were on duty at the time of the accident, according to reports citing Xinhua. The scale of the toll and the urgency of the rescue effort have again raised the question of whether safety enforcement in coal-producing regions can keep pace with the risks that continue to shadow China’s heavy dependence on coal.