As of 2020, which of these is believed to be the world's worst mining disaster by number of fatalities?

On April 26, 1942, during World War II in the Benxihu coal mine in Liaoning Province, China, what is believed to be the worst mining disaster in history took the lives of over 1,500 people.

The disaster occurred in an area that is now within the borders of modern-day China, but was at the time part of the puppet state of Manchukuo established by Japan after it invaded and occupied northeast China in the 1930s. The Japanese administrators of the mine forced Chinese laborers to conduct the mining work under harsh conditions.

It began with a fire in the mine. In order to suppress it, the Japanese operators cut off air in the ventilation shafts and blocked off the mine so as to deprive the blaze of oxygen. Most workers were not evacuated before these actions, and they were trapped within the sealed-off area of the mine; they suffocated to death as the fire burned off oxygen and produced carbon monoxide poisoning.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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14 Comments

Denise Currie

Such a tragic and needless loss of so many lives

earlepg

Don't think the Japanese had much regard for the Chinese, especially in those days.

chipdhf

Even as late as WW II the Japanese were still slaughtering the Chinese

Larry Jones

Vimala Padmaraj, The Japanese committed an inordinate amount of inhumane cruelties during World War Two.

M Renz

I remembered reading this a long time ago. I knew it was China, & an enormous number dead. Just wasn’t sure of the year.

John W Shreve

Carl Belken, Reminds me of fighting forest fires as a volunteer 50 years ago. They gave us special boots and said, "If you feel any heat on your soles, get out of there and pull those boots off."

John W Shreve

earlepg, Today, the Japanese are shaking in their boots. China looms.

stormejohn

Vimala Padmaraj, How could anyone impale someone or crucify someone? Maybe someday we will grow up to become civilized, if we don't blow our selves up or destroy the planet first.

stormejohn

earlepg, The Japanese leaders didn't have much regard for their own soldiers and citizens lives either. They didn't seen overly concerned about the firebombing of their cities and they would convince teen aged boys (many of them,but not all) that it was an honer to crash their plane into the enemy's ship with out bothering to jump out first..

Carl Belken

My relatives worked in the lead mines of Southeast MO. The unwritten rule was that if you felt a bit of loose dirt hit the back of your neck you run. My uncle escaped a room that collapsed by following that rule. He worked for them until he retired in his late 60's.

Player

earlepg, the Japanese were especially cruel during that time to anyone who got in their way. Amazing how times have changed and the world has seemingly forgotten, or never learned, how ruthless they were.