5 dead, 9 injured in coal mine accident in Lanzhou, Gansu

On Sunday morning, April 13, there was a carbon dioxide outbreak at the Jinhe Coal Mine of the Kiln Street Coal and Power Group Limited, resulting in 5 deaths and 9 injuries.

According to reports from mainland media, at around 9:19 am on April 13, during the construction process of a mining face at the Jinhe Coal Mine, a sudden carbon dioxide outbreak occurred, putting 14 people in danger. The incident led to 2 immediate deaths, 3 severe injuries, and 9 minor injuries. Around 9:40 pm, three critically injured individuals succumbed to their injuries despite efforts to save them at the hospital, while the other 9 injured individuals are currently still receiving medical treatment.

According to Extreme News, the Jinhe Coal Mine has ceased operations for rectification and is cooperating with the accident investigation.

Reports indicate that from 2017 to 2024, the Gansu branch of the State Administration of Work Safety of the Chinese Communist Party disclosed information about four accident investigations at the Jinhe Coal Mine.

On November 17, 2017, there was a transportation accident at the Jinhe Coal Mine’s 1530 transport gallery at the intersection with the 17204 ventilation shaft, resulting in 1 death; on December 8, 2019, there was a fatal accident at the Jinhe Coal Mine’s surface coal selection tower 101 belt conveyor, with a fatality occurring 3.65 meters from the head of the belt conveyor; on June 7, 2022, there was an incident at the Jinhe Coal Mine’s underground comprehensive mining support bracket maintenance shaft (south), located 152 meters from the expansion point, which resulted in 1 fatality; on March 25, 2023, there was an accident during the retreat of hydraulic support at the 16119 oil shale working face of the Jinhe Coal Mine, leading to 1 fatality.

Public records show that the Jinhe Coal Mine is under the Kiln Street Coal and Power Group Limited, located in Yaojie Town, Honggu District, Lanzhou City. The Jinhe Coal Mine, designed and constructed in 1958, is a key production mine of the Kiln Street Coal and Power Group and is a rare coal and carbon dioxide outburst mine.

The Kiln Street Coal and Power Group Limited is a large coal enterprise specializing in coal-electricity-chemical integration. It was restructured and established from the Kiln Street Mining Bureau, founded in 1958, with investments from the Gansu Provincial Government, China Chengtong Asset Management Company, China Huarong Asset Management Company, and China Construction Bank, forming a reorganized large-scale energy enterprise.