Zhongmei Guanjia Cliff Coal Mine experiences roof collapse accident, resulting in 4 trapped personnel dead

On April 2, 2026, according to Xinhua News Agency, reporters learned from relevant departments in Xing County, Lvliang City, Shanxi Province, that at 9:15 p.m. on April 1, a roof collapse accident occurred at Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Industry Co., Ltd., trapping four people. At 2:46 a.m. on April 2, the four trapped individuals were rescued and brought to the surface, with no vital signs remaining.

CCTV News previously reported that, according to relevant departments, during the night of April 1, a roof collapse occurred at Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Industry Co., Ltd. in Xing County, Shanxi Province, trapping four miners. Currently, rescue teams have arrived at the scene, and rescue operations are underway. The Beijing News reported that, according to relevant departments in Shanxi, a safety accident suspected to be a roof collapse occurred at Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Mine. Staff from relevant departments stated that six people were trapped in the accident, three have been rescued, and three remain trapped. Rescue efforts are proceeding in an orderly manner.

Information from the Shanxi official website of China Coal Group shows that Zhongmei Guanjiaya (Xing County) Coal Industry Co., Ltd. (referred to as Guanjiaya Coal Mine) is affiliated with China Coal Energy Group’s China Coal Group Shanxi Co., Ltd., which was originally formed in July 2009 through the merger and reorganization of four mines by China Resources Liansheng. In February 2025, the company’s name was changed to Zhongmei Guanjiaya(Xing County)Coal Industry Co., Ltd. The company is located in Dongpo Village, Weifen Town, Xing County, Lvliang City, Shanxi Province, with registered capital of 832 million yuan and more than 700 employees registered.

According to the Shanxi official website of China Coal Group, the mine’s field belongs to the northern part of the Hetong Coalfield, on the eastern edge of the Ordos giant coal-bearing basin. It is approved to mine the 8-2#、13# coal seam, currently mining the No. 13 coal seam, which is a gas coal type. The mine’s designed production capacity is 1.2 million tons per year, and it is a low-gas mine; the hydrogeological type is medium; the coal seam has a spontaneous combustion tendency of Class II, belonging to a self-igniting coal seam, with explosive coal dust. The mine holds all necessary permits including mining license, safety production license, and business license, which are valid, and it is a first-level mine in safety production standardization management. On January 16, 2024, it obtained a safety production license for 1.5 million tons per year issued by the Shanxi Provincial Emergency Management Department.

A roof collapse accident refers to the phenomenon where the upper rock strata of a mine cave in during extraction, often occurring at working faces and in areas with complex geological structures. The Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has previously reported that roof collapse is one of the five major disasters in coal mines, accounting for over 60% of all accidents and about 40% of casualties.

Jiemian News noted that in May 2019, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment’s Blue Sky Defense War key area reinforcement supervision and targeted assistance team found that the company’s material yard had not implemented dust control measures, with about 15k tons of raw coal stored openly outside the silo without cover. In response, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment decided to supervise and handle the issue.

In April 2022, the Shanxi Provincial Emergency Management Department reported that, based on a large-scale risk investigation and remediation campaign called the “Hundred Days Campaign,” a tip from the public indicated that the company’s coal mining caused about ten houses in Guanjiaya Village, Weifen Town, Xing County, to develop cracks, with over 20 residents still living there, posing safety hazards. This issue was included in the unresolved supervision matters of Shanxi’s “Hundred Days Campaign” for safety production, coordinated by the Weifen Town government of Xing County to handle compensation between Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Industry and villagers.

Subsequently, in December 2023, the company was fined by the Lvliang Emergency Management Bureau for issues including a pressure gauge failure on support No. 64 at the 13105 fully-mechanized working face, improper placement of oxygen sensors at the upper corner of the same face, and incorrect installation of fall protection at the slope shaft’s bottom slope point.

In November 2025, the third round, fifth batch of inspections by the Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Team stationed at China Coal Energy Group Co., Ltd. included complaints from the public about water overuse, dust pollution, and noise disturbances caused by the Guanjiaya Coal Mine.

The Shanxi official website of China Coal Group stated that regarding safety production at Guanjiaya Coal Mine in 2024, “In accordance with the directives of higher authorities, combined with the actual conditions of the mine, a three-year action plan for fundamental safety management has been formulated to further consolidate safety foundations, enhance intrinsic safety levels, eliminate accident hazards at the source, and ensure safe production of the mine.”