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Benxihu Colliery, China (1942) -

The Benxihu Colliery in Liaoning Province, China, exploded in 1942, taking the lives of 1,549 miners with it. The explosion was caused by a mixture of gas and coal dust. Thousands of workers were trapped underground, and it took 10 days to recover all the bodies.

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Courrières Coal Mine, France (1906) -

An underground fire broke out in the Courrières coal mine in Northern France on March 10, 1906. The exact cause was never confirmed, but it's suspected that improper handling of mining explosives or methane from a mining lamp contributed.

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Courrières Coal Mine, France (1906) -

The massive explosion took 1,099 lives, making it by far the worst mining disaster in European history. Hundreds more were injured.

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Senghenydd Mine, Wales (1913) -

The majority of the UK's coal mines are found in Wales, a country in the southwest of Britain. The small nation has experienced more than its fair share of tragedy as a result. In 1913, the worst mining disaster in British history occurred at the Senghenydd mine.

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Senghenydd Mine, Wales (1913) -

A buildup of methane gas in the mine caused an explosion that spread through the tunnels. Many were killed in the explosion, but even those who made it out alive later died of carbon monoxide poisoning. A total of 439 people were killed.

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Clydesdale Mine, South Africa (1960) -

It's estimated that around a thousand workers were underground when the Clydesdale mine in Pretoria collapsed. The company did not have the machinery to dig out all of the trapped miners, and 435 died under the worst circumstances imaginable.

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Oaks Mine, England (1866) -

The Oaks Mine Disaster of 1866 is the second most deadly in the UK, after the Senghenydd explosion. A series of explosions in the Lancashire coal mine resulted in the deaths of 361 miners and rescuers.

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Aberfan Mine, Wales (1966) -

The Aberfan mining disaster of 1966 was one of the most heartbreaking in British history. The small mining community was devastated when heavy rainfall caused the local mine to collapse. The collapse sent a mudslide down the hill, engulfing the Pantglas Primary School.

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Aberfan Mine, Wales (1966) -

A total of 116 children died as result, as well as 28 adults. This terrible moment in British history was portrayed from the late Queen Elizabeth II's perspective in the Netflix series 'The Crown.' Years later, she admitted that it was her "greatest regret" that she didn't go to Aberfan immediately after the tragedy, instead waiting a week to visit the grieving community.

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Eynez Mine, Turkey (2014) -

The large Eynez mine is found in the Manisa Province of Turkey. In 2014, it was the location of the worst mining disaster in Turkish history. A deadly fire broke out on May 13 after a blasting operation went awry.

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Eynez Mine, Turkey (2014) -

Almost 800 workers were underground when the fire broke out and 301 were killed. A further 80 people were injured. The terrible incident ignited a major movement from the country's largest trade union, who claimed the privatization of the mine was to blame.

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Kinross Mine, South Africa (1986) -

A fire at the Kinross gold mine Mpumalanga, South Africa, caused one of the deadliest mining disasters in the country's history. A fuel tank ignited a fire underground, sending flames and toxic gases through the network of tunnels.

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Kinross Mine, South Africa (1986) -

A total of 177 miners lost their lives that day. A further 235 people were injured. The National Union of Mineworkers organized mass protests over low safety standards following the tragic event.

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Shanxi Mudslide, China (2008) -

Heavy rains caused a devastating mudslide in the Shanxi Province of China in 2008. A mine collapsed under the weight and thousands of rescue workers and medics struggled to save those trapped underground. In the end, 277 people were killed, four declared missing, and 33 injured.

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Dhori Coal Mine, India (1965) -

The mining community of Dhanbad, India, suffered two major catastrophes 10 years apart. The first occurred in 1965, when methane gas caused an explosion at the Dhori Coal Mine that took 375 lives.

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Chasnala Colliery, India (1975) -

In 1975, disaster struck Dhanbad once again. This time, a coal dust explosion devastated the Chasnala Colliery. It damaged the roof of the mine, allowing a huge body of water that sat above the mine to flood the tunnels. The incident killed 372 people.

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Sunjiawan Mine, China (2005) -

In 2005, the Sunjiawan Coal Mine in Fuxin City suffered an explosion more than 700 feet (200 m) underground. There were 201 miners killed and 22 injured.

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Blantyre Mine, Scotland (1877) -

The Blantyre mining disaster was the worst in Scottish history. Two different pits at the site exploded on the same day, killing 207 miners. The youngest to die was an 11-year-old boy.

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Cherry Mine, USA (1909) -

The Cherry Mine in Illinois had only been open for four years when a major tragedy killed 259 of its employees. A load of hay caught fire, causing explosions and toxic gas to spread through the mine. Miraculously, there were 21 miners who managed to survive in the toxic fumes for eight days before they were rescued.

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Bois du Cazier, Belgium (1956) -

A cable broke in the Bois du Cazier mine in Belgium, igniting an underground fire in the elevator shaft. Rescue efforts only managed to save 13 miners, while the other 262 perished.

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Bois du Cazier, Belgium (1956) -

It was the worst mining disaster in Belgian history. The incident was the subject of the award-winning 2003 documentary 'Inferno Below.'

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Dongfeng Coal Mine, China (2005) -

In 2005, an explosion went off in the Dongfeng coal mine in Heilongjiang, China. There were 242 miners underground at the time, and only a lucky few made it out alive. The death toll was 171 by the end of the rescue mission.

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Pretoria Pit, England (1910) -

Almost a thousand miners were working in the Pretoria Pit at the Hulton Colliery on December 21, 1910. An explosion believed to be caused by an accumulation of natural gas took the lives of 344 men and boys.

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Pretoria Pit, England (1910) -

The Pretoria Pit disaster was the third worst mining disaster in British history. Many families in the community lost their fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands all at once on that devastating day.

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Monongah Coal Mine, USA (1907) -

The Monongah disaster was the worst in US history. An explosion in the mine caused by coal dust and moisture took the lives of 362 miners. The majority of the victims were Italian immigrants.

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Moweaqua Coal Mine, USA (1932) -

Illinois' Moweaqua coal mine was the site of a tragic disaster on Christmas Eve 1932. A methane gas explosion killed 54 workers that day. Three years later, the dangerous mine was permanently closed.

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Seaham Colliery, England (1880) -

The Seaham Colliery located in Durham, England, suffered a terrible underground explosion in 1880. A total of 164 people died, including miners, surface workers, and rescuers.

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Copiapó Mine, Chile (2010) -

The Chilean mining accident of 2010 was one of the most internationally followed disasters in history. The San José gold and copper mine collapsed on August 5, leaving 33 miners trapped inside. The mine was 2,625 feet (800 m) deep, and outdated maps hampered rescue efforts.

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Copiapó Mine, Chile (2010) -

For weeks, rescue teams failed to detect signs of life, until a probe got hold of a note on August 22, which read "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" ("All 33 of us are all right in the shelter"). It was October 12 before the trapped men could be rescued, having spent 69 days underground.

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Stilfontein Mine, South Africa (2025) - On January 15, 87 bodies were pulled from a mining shaft in Johannesburg. The South African government carried out a harsh crackdown on illegal mining and received huge backlash for its "horrific" and "inhumane" policies, which included cutting off food and water to hundreds of miners.

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Stilfontein Mine, South Africa (2025) -

A court ordered the rescue of those trapped at the Stilfontein Mine, located around 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Johannesburg, and 246 people have been rescued alive. South Africa’s Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) described the tragedy as a "massacre" and accused the government of acting "without humanity."

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Kenieba, Mali (2024-2025) -

In February, 50 people were killed in the collapse of an illegal goldmine in Kenieba, western Mali.
Mining accidents are common in Mali. In January, a landslide killed at least 10 people, and in 2024 over 70 miners died in a tunnel collapse in the same region.

Sources: (FTM) (Mining Technology)

See also: Historical engineering mistakes and their outcomes

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