Video: watson/nina bürge
May 23, 2026, 07:56May 23, 2026, 10:28
At least 90 people have died after a gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine in northern China’s Shanxi province, according to Chinese state media. It is still unclear how many people are still trapped in the mine. The rescue work continues.
On Saturday morning it was initially said that a total of 201 people had been rescued from the mine, including eight dead. It is still unclear why the number of deaths was revised upwards so suddenly.
The accident occurred on Friday evening in a mine in Qinyuan county, China’s state agency Xinhua reported. According to current knowledge, 247 people were underground during the explosion. According to Chinese reports, the mine was operated in a three-shift system, with the accident occurring during a shift change.
Video: watson/nina bürge
Shanxi Province is considered one of the centers for China’s coal industry. Even though China has increasingly relied on renewable energy in recent years, coal still accounts for just over half of the country’s total energy consumption.
Shanxi’s coal industry is notorious for its poor safety standards. In the past, there have been repeated serious accidents in China with many deaths. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, according to Xinhua. (sda/dpa)
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