President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue operation after a blast rocked the Liushenyu mine in the northern part of the country.
At least 82 miners have been killed after a gas explosion tore through a coal mine in northern Shanxi Province, China, with rescue efforts still underway, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday.
The blast occurred on Friday evening at the Liushenyu mine operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Qinyuan County. According to Xinhua, 247 workers were on duty underground at the time of the incident. CCTV said nine people are still unaccounted for.
The cause is still unclear, with an investigation ongoing, though an earlier Xinhua report suggested that carbon monoxide levels exceeded limits inside the mine.
Death toll has risen to 82 after a coal mine accident in Qinyuan County, north China’s Shanxi Province. pic.twitter.com/o9CM6MewlX
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) May 23, 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued instructions on Saturday for an “all-out rescue of the missing and treatment of the injured,” while calling for a thorough investigation into the cause. Officials running the coal mine have been detained, according to media reports.
A video shared by Xinhua shows numerous ambulances and police cars arriving at the scene.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to Xi – who he met with just days ago in Beijing – over the tragedy.
Coal is a key source of energy in China, powering more than half of the nation’s energy consumption, despite efforts in recent years to reduce its use. In 2021, Xi pledged to “strictly limit the increase in coal consumption” until 2025 and start phasing it out as part of the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.
In June 2025, the share of coal in power generation dropped to a historic low of 51%, with China rapidly expanding the use of wind, solar, and nuclear energy.
