As of 2026-10-12, Benxihu mine disaster tops the list with 1,549 deaths.
- #1 Benxihu mine disaster — 1,549 deaths
dust explosion in Benxihu mine, Liaoning, in 1942
source Wikidata - #2 Courrières mine disaster — 1,099 deaths
mining accident
The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst mining accident, caused the death of 1,099 miners in Northern France on 10 March 1906. This disaster was surpassed only by the Benxihu Colliery accident in China on 26 April 1942, which killed 1,549 miners. A coal-dust explosion, the cause of which is not known with certainty, devastated a coal mine operated by the Compagnie des mines de houille de Courrières. Victims lived nearby in the villages of Méricourt, Sallaumines, Billy-Montigny, and... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Senghenydd Colliery Disaster — 439 deaths
Mining explosion in 1913
The Senghenydd colliery disaster, also known as the Senghenydd explosion, occurred at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, near Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales, on 14 October 1913. The explosion, which killed 439 coal miners and a rescuer, is the worst mining accident in the United Kingdom. Universal Colliery, on the South Wales Coalfield, extracted steam coal, which was much in demand. Some of the region's coal seams contained high quantities of firedamp, a highly explosive gas consisting of... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Coalbrook mining disaster — 437 deaths
1960 mineshaft collapse at Clydesdale Colliery, South Africa
The Coalbrook mining disaster was the worst mining accident in the history of South Africa. The disaster occurred in the Coalbrook coal mine of Clydesdale Colliery on 21 January 1960 at around 19:00 when approximately 900 pillars caved in, almost 180 metres (590 ft) underground. The mine is situated in the Northern Free State, 21 kilometres (13 mi) south west of Vereeniging. About 1,000 miners were in the mine at the time and 437 died after being trapped, while the rest escaped through an... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 Chasnala mining disaster — 372 deaths
Mining Disaster
The Chasnala mining disaster was a disaster that happened on 27 December 1975 in a coal mine in Chasnala near Dhanbad in the Indian state of Jharkhand. An explosion in the mine followed by flooding killed 375 miners. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Monongah Mining disaster — 362 deaths
1907 disaster in West Virginia
The Monongah mining disaster was a coal mine explosion on December 6, 1907, at Fairmont Coal Company's Nos. 6 and 8 mines in Monongah, West Virginia, which killed 362 miners. It has been described as "the worst mining disaster in American history" and was one of the contributing events that led to the creation of the United States Bureau of Mines. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Oaks explosion — 361 deaths
Mining explosion in 1866
The Oaks explosion, which happened at a coal mine in South Yorkshire on 12 December 1866, remains the worst mining disaster in England. A series of explosions caused by firedamp ripped through the underground workings at the Oaks Colliery at Hoyle Mill near Stairfoot in Barnsley killing 361 miners and rescuers. It was the worst mining disaster in the United Kingdom until the 1913 Senghenydd explosion in Wales. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Pretoria Pit Disaster — 344 deaths
1910 mining accident in Over Hulton, North West England
The Pretoria Pit disaster was a mining accident on 21 December 1910, when an underground explosion occurred at the Hulton Colliery Bank Pit No. 3, known as the Pretoria Pit, in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, in North West England. A total of 344 men and boys lost their lives. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Soma mine disaster — 301 deaths
2014 mine fire in Turkey
On 13 May 2014, a fire broke out at Eynez coal mine in Soma, Manisa, Turkey, killing 301 workers in the deadliest mining accident in the country's history. The mine was operated by Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş. under a contract with the state-owned Turkish Coal Operations Authority. There were 787 workers underground when the fire occurred near a shift change. Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said that most victims died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The search and rescue operation lasted 96... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Nambija mine disaster — 300 deaths
1993 landslide in Ecuador
The Nambija mine disaster was a landslide which occurred in a remote mining settlement in the southeastern part of Ecuador on 9 May 1993. A part of the mountain above the countless mines gave way and buried about 300 people. A definite number will never be known, since there are no records about the number of people living or working in Nambija. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata