QINYUAN, CHINA / MENA Newswire / — The confirmed death toll from a coal mine gas explosion in northern China’s Shanxi province stood at 82 after local officials revised an earlier figure of 90, saying the initial count was inaccurate amid confusion after the blast. The explosion occurred on Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, where 247 workers were underground at the time. Officials said two people remained missing, while 128 others were injured and hospitalized.
Authorities said 35 workers escaped without injury after the blast, which struck one of China’s most important coal producing regions. The accident prompted emergency rescue operations, medical treatment for survivors and security controls around the mining site. Officials described the scene after the explosion as chaotic and said worker counts provided immediately after the incident were not final. The revised figures made the disaster one of China’s deadliest mining accidents in recent years.
The Liushenyu coal mine is in Changzhi, a city in Shanxi, a province that remains central to China’s coal supply and heavy industrial base. Rescue and search teams continued work after the blast, while emergency vehicles and security personnel were deployed around the facility. Authorities said many of the injured were treated after exposure to toxic gases, a major hazard in underground coal mining accidents involving explosions and ventilation failures.
Investigation focuses on mine safety
The Chinese State Council sent an investigation team to Shanxi and pledged a thorough probe into the cause of the explosion, the handling of the emergency and responsibilities linked to the disaster. Officials said the inquiry would examine local management, industry oversight and corporate operations. They also said penalties would be imposed according to law after the investigation determines the circumstances of the blast and any failures connected to safety requirements.
Local officials said preliminary findings pointed to serious legal violations by the mine operator, without releasing detailed findings. Shanxi Tongzhou Coal Coking Group, which controls the mine, had its other mines ordered to suspend operations after the accident, according to official announcements. Company personnel were placed under control by authorities as the investigation proceeded. Rescue work was complicated by discrepancies between available mine blueprints and the actual underground layout, officials said.
Blast adds pressure on coal sector
The accident occurred in a coal sector that has undergone years of consolidation, tighter regulation and safety campaigns after a long record of deadly incidents. China remains heavily reliant on coal for power generation, steelmaking and industrial activity, and Shanxi is among the country’s largest producing provinces. Official records previously identified the Liushenyu site as a mine with elevated gas related risks, a designation that placed it among facilities requiring close safety supervision.
The blast also triggered safety inspections and production suspensions across parts of Shanxi’s mining industry, adding pressure to local coal supply. Domestic coking coal and coke futures rose after the disaster as traders assessed the impact of halted operations and stricter checks. Authorities said rescue, medical treatment and investigation work remained the immediate priorities. The confirmed toll of 82 replaced the earlier figure of 90, which officials said was corrected after a full review of worker numbers.