Deadliest coal mine explosion in years kills at least 82 people in China, state media say

Updated on May 23, 2026 2:19 PM EDT — Published on

May 23, 2026 12:37 PM EDT

BEIJING (AP) — A gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern Shanxi province killed at least 82 people, local officials said Saturday, in what was the country's deadliest mining accident in recent years.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the accident at Changzhi city's Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening.

At a news conference late Saturday, local authorities said 82 were dead and that more than 120 people were hospitalized. Two were still missing. The death toll was a revised, lower number from earlier reports by state broadcaster CCTV that said 90 had died.