Gas Explosion at Shanxi Coal Mine Kills 82

Overview

• The blast hit the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County late Friday, May 22, killing 82 workers and sending about 128 people to hospital.
• State broadcaster CCTV released surveillance video that shows tunnels filling with dense smoke within seconds of the explosion.
• Authorities say 247 workers were underground when the explosion struck and that rescue teams of 755 personnel were dispatched to the site.
• The mine operator, controlled by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal Coking Group, had all four of its pits closed and company executives detained as investigators search for violations.
• The accident is the deadliest Chinese mining disaster since 2009 and raises questions about gas management, unrecorded tunnels and safety oversight in Shanxi’s coal belt.