Old Inner Mongolia Mine Collapse Footage Falsely Linked to 2026 Shanxi Mining Disaster
The Claim
Social media posts circulating on X[1] and Facebook[2] claim that a dramatic video showing a massive open-pit mine collapse captures the deadly explosion that occurred at the Liushenyu coal mine in China’s Shanxi province in May 2026.
The posts describe the footage as showing the disaster that killed at least 82 workers and mention ongoing rescue operations involving mine inspection robots and underground search efforts.
The video shows a large section of an open-pit mine suddenly collapsing, sending tonnes of earth and debris cascading down the slope and burying multiple mining trucks.
What CyberPoe Verified
Verification shows the claim is false.
The footage does not depict the May 2026 Shanxi mine explosion.
The video actually dates back more than three years and shows a separate mining disaster that occurred in Inner Mongolia in February 2023.[1]
The Real 2026 Shanxi Disaster
The misinformation emerged after a devastating explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province on May 22, 2026.
The blast occurred while 247 miners were working underground, making it China’s deadliest mining disaster in nearly two decades.
Chinese authorities reported that at least 82 workers were killed and 128 others were hospitalized. Rescue teams continued searching for missing miners in the aftermath of the explosion.[1]
Investigators later stated that the mining company had committed serious safety violations, including allowing dangerous concentrations of toxic gases to accumulate below the mine shaft.
Video Predates the Disaster by Years
A reverse image search using key frames from the viral clip traced the footage to February 2023.
The same video was published by CCTV+, a Chinese state media outlet, on February 23, 2023 under the title: “Surveillance Camera Captures Coal Mine Collapse in Inner Mongolia.”
The footage matches the viral clip frame-for-frame, including the collapse sequence, vehicle positions, and movement of debris.
Original Incident Was in Inner Mongolia
The video documented a catastrophic landslide at an open-pit coal mine in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
According to reports from Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the disaster killed 53 people and injured six others after a large section of the mine wall collapsed.[1]
The incident attracted significant international attention at the time and was widely covered by Chinese and global media outlets.
Why the False Claim Spread
Major disasters frequently trigger the recycling of old footage online, particularly when dramatic visuals are readily available.
In this case, users repurposed authentic footage from the 2023 Inner Mongolia mine collapse and falsely connected it to the 2026 Shanxi explosion, creating the misleading impression that the video showed the latest tragedy.
No evidence indicates that footage of the actual Shanxi explosion resembles the viral video.
CyberPoe Verdict ❌
False Context.
The viral mine collapse footage does not show the May 2026 explosion at the Liushenyu coal mine in Shanxi province.
The video actually documents a separate coal mine collapse in Inner Mongolia that occurred in February 2023.
