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, Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Industry Co., Ltd. experienced a roof collapse accident, with 4 people trapped. At 2:46 a.m. on April 2, the 4 trapped individuals were rescued and brought up to the surface, with no signs of life.

CCTV News previously reported that, according to reporters’ understanding from relevant departments, during the night of April 1, a roof collapse accident occurred at Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Industry Co., Ltd. in Xing County, Shanxi Province, trapping 4 miners. Currently, the rescue team has arrived at the scene, and rescue work is underway. The Beijing News reported that, according to reporters’ understanding from relevant departments in Xing County, Shanxi, Zhongmei Guanjiaya Coal Mine may have suffered a roof collapse safety accident. Staff from relevant departments said the accident left 6 people trapped; 3 people have been rescued so far, and 3 people remain trapped. Related rescue efforts are ongoing in an orderly manner.

The information on the official website of China Coal Group’s Shanxi branch shows that Zhongmei Guanjiaya (Xing County) Coal Industry Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as Guanjiaya Coal Mine) is affiliated with China Coal Group’s Shanxi Company, which is under China Coal Energy Group. It was originally formed in July 2009 by China Resources Liansheng through a merger, integration, and restructuring of four coal mines. 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. Its registered capital is 832 million yuan, and it has more than 700 employees on its roster.

According to the official website of China Coal Group’s Shanxi branch, the mine’s concession area belongs to the northern part of the Hedong coalfield, specifically the eastern edge portion of the Ordos giant coal-bearing basin. It is approved to mine the 8-2#、13# coal seam; it currently mines coal seam No. 13. The coal type is gas coal. The designed production capacity is 1.2 million tons per year, making it a low gas mine. The hydrogeological type is moderate. The coal seam’s spontaneous combustion propensity is classified as Category II; it is a self-igniting coal seam, and the coal dust is explosive. At present, the mine has complete and valid certification and permit procedures, such as a mining permit, a safety production license, and a business license. It is a first-level mine under a safety production standardization management system. On January 16, 2024, it obtained a 1.5 million tons per year safety production license issued by the Shanxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management.

A roof collapse accident refers to the phenomenon in which, during the process of mining in a mine, the upper mine rock strata collapse. It occurs more often at mining and excavation working faces and in areas with complex geological structures. The Institute of Geology and Earth’s Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences previously published an article stating that roof collapse accidents are one of the five major disasters in coal mines, accounting for 60% or more of all accidents and about 40% of the casualties.

Jiemian News noted that in May 2019, a blue-sky protection campaign—key area supervision and fixed-point assistance working group under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment discovered that this company’s material stockyard had not implemented dust-control measures; about 15,000 tons of raw coal stored outdoors outside the silos had not been covered. In response, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment decided to supervise and oversee the matter.

In April 2022, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Emergency Management reported that, based on the public tip-off leads received in the concentrated “Hundred-Day Campaign” special action for comprehensive risk identification and rectification in the safety production sector, the company’s coal mining caused cracks in about 10 households’ houses in Guanjiaya Village, Weifen Town, Xing County. More than 20 people still lived there, creating safety hazards. This issue was listed under the supervisable matters that had not yet been completed in the concentrated “Hundred-Day Campaign” for safety production in Shanxi Province, coordinated by the Xing County Weifen Town government to handle compensation between Guanjiaya Coal Industry and local villagers.

After that, in December 2023, the company was fined by the Lvliang Municipal Department of Emergency Management due to problems including a failure of the pressure gauge at No. 64 support at the 13105 fully mechanized caving longwall working face, the improper installation position of an oxygen sensor at the upper corner of the 13105 fully mechanized caving working face, and an incorrect installation position of the anti-drop-rope protection at the bottom of the main inclined shaft’s winding device at the point where the gradient changes.

In November 2025, the Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Team, during its third round and fifth batch of inspections, moved into China Coal Energy Group Co., Ltd. The public complaints the inspection team received included issues such as the Guanjiaya Coal Mine’s mining leading to water usage exceeding standards, dust pollution, and noise disturbing residents.

When introducing the Guanjiaya Coal Mine’s 2024 safety production, the official website of China Coal Group’s Shanxi branch had stated, “In accordance with the spirit of documents from higher-level companies, combined with the actual circumstances of the mine, we have formulated a three-year action plan for strengthening safety through tackling root causes. We will further consolidate the foundation for safety production, enhance and improve intrinsic safety levels, eliminate accident hazards at their source, and ensure safe production at the mine.”

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