At least 90 people have died after an explosion in one of the Chinese province of Shanxi, located in the center of the country, in one of the most serious mining accidents recorded in China, according to state media reported this Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Qinyuan county, about 520 kilometers southwest of Beijing, after the farm issued a carbon monoxide alert, reports the Xinhua agency.
At the time of the explosion there were 247 workers underground. The number of victims has been increasing throughout the day. In a first report released on Saturday morning, authorities reported eight deaths, 201 workers evacuated alive and 38 people trapped underground. Later, they raised the number of fatalities to “more than 50” and finally to 90.
It is unknown how many people remain trapped, but local press reports that rescue teams continue working amid doubts about the situation inside the mine.
Mountainous Shanxi is China’s main coal-producing province and one of the historic pillars of the country’s energy industry. Located west of Beijing, it concentrates enormous coal reserves and a good part of the mining operations that feed the electrical grid and Chinese heavy industry. In 2024, it extracted 1,270 million tons of coal, about 27% of national production. Although the Government has been promoting closures of illegal mines, technological modernization and safety campaigns for years, accidents continue to occur frequently in a sector marked by pressure to maintain high levels of production.
He has asked that “everything possible” be done to find the missing and has demanded that responsibilities be established. “All regions and departments should draw lessons from this accident, increase vigilance in workplace safety, investigate and correct any potential risks, and resolutely prevent serious accidents,” Xi said, according to state media.
Xinhua reports that the police have taken “control measures” against the person responsible for the company that owns the mine, a phrase that in the language of the state press usually indicates that the person is in custody or subject to restrictions while the investigation progresses. The news agency adds that investigations into the causes of the accident are still underway.
In his statement, President Xi also recalled that China is in the middle of the rainy season and has asked to strengthen the prevention of floods and other natural disasters. Last weekend, heavy rainfall in Shimen county in the southern province of Hunan caused at least seven deaths and affected more than 100,000 people.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang has supported Xi’s message and called for “every possible effort” to be made to locate the missing miners. He also asked to investigate “as soon as possible” the causes of the accident and punish those responsible. Li also urged the safety office of the State Council to remind local governments of their obligations regarding workplace accident prevention.
China’s dependence on coal remains enormous despite the country’s rapid deployment of renewable energy. China consumes more coal than the rest of the world combined and the mineral continues to be an essential piece to guarantee the Asian giant’s energy supply, especially in times of strong electricity demand or economic slowdown.
The Qinyuan accident occurs just a month after another accident in a mine in the city of Lüliang, also in Shanxi, in which four workers died. In recent decades, China has recorded some of the worst mining accidents in the world, although death tolls have decreased compared to the sector’s darkest years thanks to tightening regulations and the closure of smaller, more dangerous mines.
