Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
This is an attempt to compile as complete a list as possible of mining disasters that claimed more than 100 lives. It includes not only mine disasters but any disaster related to mining or resource extraction, including waste pile collapses, oil rig disasters, and pipeline and gas field explosions. It does not attempt to list disasters like pipeline fires, gas explosions in buildings, or oil tank or refinery disasters.
The list is sobering for its sheer length. It is probably not complete. Some early disasters probably went unrecorded, although the smaller scale of mining before the Industrial Revolution probably made large disasters rare. Disasters in Russia in Stalinist and Czarist time were probably kept secret, as were disasters in China under Mao. Disasters in China during Japanese occupation and before World War II may well have gone unrecorded.
Selected disasters with fewer than 100 fatalities have been included. The 1839 event was the first documented large mining disaster in the U.S. Others were included because they were the largest disasters in a particular country, were unusually large disasters in metal mines, or were unusual in some other respect.
| Year | Mon | Day | Mine | Town | State/province | Country | Disaster | Fatalities | Mine Type | Notes |
| 1376 | Rammelsberg | Goslar | Harz | Germany | Collapse | > 100 | Metal | 1 | ||
| 1448 | Heilig-Kreuz-Stollen | Schwaz | Tirol | Austria | Flood | 100-260 | Metal | 1 | ||
| 1565 | Der Goldene Esel | Zloty Stok (Reichenstein) | Schlesien | Germany | Collapse | 59-95 | Metal | 1 | ||
| 1839 | 3 | 18 | Black Heath Coal | near Richmond | VA | USA | Explosion | 53 | Coal | 2,3 |
| 1856 | 7 | 15 | Cymmer | Rhondda | UK (Wales) | 114 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1860 | 12 | 1 | Risca Black Vein Pit | Waunfawr | UK (Wales) | 146 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1862 | 1 | 16 | Hartley Colliery | Region Northumberland | England | Collapse | 204 | Coal | ||
| 1866 | 12 | 12 | Oaks Colliery, (Barnsley, England, 1866) | Barnsley,England,UK | Yorkshire | UK (England) | Explosion | 361 | Coal | 4 |
| 1867 | 7 | 1 | Neue Fundgrube | Lugau/erzgebiet | Lugau-Oelsnitzer Revier | Germany | Collapse | 101 | Coal | 1 |
| 1867 | 11 | 8 | Ferndale Colliery | Rhondda | UK (Wales) | Explosion | 178 | Coal | 5 | |
| 1869 | 8 | 2 | Freiherrlich von Burgker Coaln- und Eisenhüttenwerke, | Freital | Freitaler | Germany | Explosion | 276 | Coal | 1 |
| 1869 | 9 | 6 | Avondale | Plymouth | PA | USA | Fire | 110 | Coal | 2 |
| 1877 | 10 | 22 | Blantyre | Blantyre | Lanarkshire | UK(Scotland) | 207 | Coal | ||
| 1878 | 6 | 7 | Wood Pit | Haydock | Lancashire | UK (England) | Explosion | 200 | Coal | |
| 1878 | 9 | 11 | Prince of Wales Mine | Abercarn | Monmouthshire, Wales | UK (Wales) | 259 | Coal | 5 | |
| 1880 | Renard coal mine | Sosnowiec | Poland | 200 | Coal | |||||
| 1880 | 7 | 15 | Risca New Mine | Waunfawr | UK (Wales) | 120 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1880 | 12 | 10 | Naval | Penygraig | UK (Wales) | 101 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1884 | 3 | 13 | Laurel | Pocahontas | Virginia | USA | Explosion | 112 | Coal | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 | 5 | Larisch | Karviná | Czech Republic | 108 | Coal | 1 | ||
| 1885 | 3 | 7 | Grube Camphausen | Quierschied | Saarrevier | Germany | Explosion | 180 | Coal | 1 |
| 1887 | 5 | 3 | Mine No. 1 | Nanaimo | Canada | 150 | Coal | |||
| 1890 | 2 | 6 | Llanerch (Cwmnantddu) | Abersychan | UK (Wales) | 176 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1891 | 1 | 27 | Mammoth No. 1 | Mount Pleasant | Pennsylvania | USA | Explosion | 109 | Coal | 2 |
| 1891 | 2 | 21 | Collieries No. 1 and 2 | Springhill | Nova Scotia | Canada | Explosion | 125 | Coal | |
| 1892 | 1 | 7 | Mine No. 11 | Krebs | Oklahoma | USA | Explosion | 100 | Coal | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 | 11 | Schacht Aulniats | Anderlues | Belgium | Explosion | 160 | 1 | ||
| 1892 | 5 | 31 | Grube Maria-Schacht | Príbram-Birkenberg | Czech Republic | Fire | 319 | Iron | 1 | |
| 1892 | 8 | 26 | Park Slip | Tondu | UK (Wales) | 110 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1894 | 6 | 14 | Larisch | Karviná | Czech Republic | 235 | Coal | 1 | ||
| 1894 | 6 | 25 | Albion Colliery | Cilfynydd | Glamorgan, Wales | UK (Wales) | 290 | Coal | 5 | |
| 1896 | 3 | 26 | Brunner Mine, NZ | NZ | Explosion | 65 | Coal | |||
| 1896 | Kleofas coal mine | Katowice | Poland | 104 | Coal | |||||
| 1898 | 2 | 17 | Zeche Carolinenglück | Bochum | Ruhrgebiet | Germany | Explosion | 116 | Coal | 1 |
| 1899 | 6 | 15 | Hokoku | Itoda | Kyūshū | Japan | 210 | Coal | ||
| 1899 | 8 | 28 | Sumitomo Besshi bronze mine | Niihama | Shikoku | Japan | Debris Flow | 512 | Copper | |
| 1900 | 5 | 1 | Scofield,Utah | UT | USA | Explosion | 200 | Copper | 2 | |
| 1902 | 5 | 19 | Coal Creek | TN | USA | Explosion | 184 | Coal | 2 | |
| 1902 | 7 | 10 | Rolling Mill | Johnstown | PA | USA | Explosion | 112 | Coal | 2 |
| 1902 | 7 | 31 | Mt. Kembla, Australia | Australia | Explosion | 96 | Coal | |||
| 1903 | 6 | 30 | Hanna No. 1 | Hanna | WY | USA | Explosion | 169 | Coal | 2 |
| 1904 | 1 | 25 | Harwick | Springdale Township, Pennsylvania | PA | USA | Explosion | 179 | Coal | 2 |
| 1905 | 2 | 20 | Virginia City | Virginia City | AL | USA | Explosion | 112 | Coal | 2 |
| 1905 | 7 | 11 | National | Wattstown | UK (Wales) | 119 | Coal | 5 | ||
| 1906 | 3 | 10 | Courrieres, France | France | Explosion | 1100 | Coal | 4 | ||
| 1907 | 1 | 28 | Grube Reden | Schiffweiler | Saarland | Germany | Explosion | 150 | Coal | 1 |
| 1907 | 7 | 20 | Hokoku | Itoda | Kyūshū | Japan | 365 | Coal | ||
| 1907 | 12 | 6 | Monongah Nos. 6 and 8 | Monongah | WV | USA | Explosion | 362 | Coal | 2 |
| 1907 | 12 | 10 | Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania | PA | USA | 239 | Coal | 2 | ||
| 1907 | 12 | 19 | Darr | Van Meter | PA | USA | Explosion | 239 | Coal | 2 |
| 1908 | 2 | 27 | Mina Rosita Vieja disaster | San Juan de Sabinas | Coahuila | Mexico | 200 | Coal | ||
| 1908 | 11 | 12 | Zeche Radbod Schacht 1/2 | Bockum-Hövel | Ruhrgebiet | Germany | Explosion, Fire | 348 | Coal | 1 |
| 1908 | 11 | 28 | Rachel and Agnes | Marianna | PA | USA | Explosion | 154 | Coal | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 | 16 | West Stanley Colliery | Stanley | County Durham | England | Explosion | 168 | Coal | |
| 1909 | 8 | 5 | Onoura | Kirino | Kyūshū | Japan | 243 | Coal | ||
| 1909 | 11 | 13 | Cherry Mine | Cherry | IL | USA | Fire | 259 | Coal | 2 |
| 1910 | 12 | 21 | Pretoria Pit | Westhoughton | England | 344 | Coal | |||
| 1911 | 4 | 8 | Banner | Littleton | AL | USA | Explosion | 128 | Coal | 2 |
| 1912 | 8 | 8 | Zeche Lothringen 1/2 | Bochum | Ruhrgebiet | Germany | Explosion | 115 | Coal | |
| 1913 | 4 | 23 | Cincinnati | Finleyville | PA | USA | Explosion | 98 | Coal | 2 |
| 1913 | 10 | 14 | Senghenydd Colliery | Senghenydd, Wales, Uk | UK | Explosion | 438 | Coal | 4,5 | |
| 1913 | 10 | 22 | Stag Canyon No. 2 | Dawson | NM | USA | Explosion | 263 | Coal | 2 |
| 1914 | 4 | 28 | Eccles, WV | WV | USA | Explosion | 181 | Coal | 2 | |
| 1914 | 6 | 19 | Hillcrest mine | Hillcrest | Alberta | Canada | 189 | Coal | ||
| 1914 | 11 | 88 | New Yubari | Yubari | Hokkaidō | Japan | 422 | Coal | ||
| 1914 | 12 | 15 | Mitsubishi Hojo | Kyūshū | Japan | 687 | Coal | |||
| 1915 | 3 | 2 | Layland No. 3 | Layland | WV | USA | Explosion | 112 | Coal | 2 |
| 1917 | 4 | 27 | Hastings | Hastings | CO | USA | Explosion | 121 | Coal | 2 |
| 1917 | 6 | 8 | Granite Mountain Shaft | Butte | MT | USA | Fire | 163 | Copper | 2 |
| 1917 | 12 | 21 | Onoura | Kirino | Kyūshū | Japan | 376 | Coal | ||
| 1918 | 1 | 12 | Podmore Hall | Halmer End | Staffordshire | UK | 155 | Coal | ||
| 1919 | 6 | 5 | Baltimore Tunnel #2 | Wilkes-Barre | PA | USA | Explosives | 92 | Coal | 2 |
| 1923 | 2 | 8 | Stag Canon No. 1 | Dawson | NM | USA | Explosion | 120 | Coal | 2 |
| 1923 | 8 | 14 | Frontier No. 1 | Kemmerer | WY | USA | Explosion | 99 | Coal | 2 |
| 1923 | Rozbrat | Bytom | Poland | 145 | Coal | |||||
| 1924 | 3 | 8 | Castle Gate, Utah | UT | USA | Explosion | 172 | Coal | 2 | |
| 1924 | 4 | 28 | Wheeling Steel | Benwood | WV | USA | Explosion | 119 | Coal | 2 |
| 1925 | 2 | 11 | Zeche Minister Stein | Dortmund | Ruhrgebiet | Germany | Explosion | 136 | 1 | |
| 1926 | 11 | 3 | Barnes Hecker Mine | Ishpeming | MI | USA | Flood | 51 | Iron | 2 |
| 1927 | 3 | 27 | Uchigo | Iwaki | Japan | 134 | Coal | |||
| 1927 | 4 | 30 | Federal No. 3 | Everettville | WV | USA | Explosion | 97 | Coal | 2 |
| 1928 | 5 | 19 | Mather, Pennsylvania | PA | USA | Explosion | 195 | Coal | 2 | |
| 1930 | 7 | 9 | Wenzelsgrube | Hausdorf (Now Jugow) | Neuroder Revier | Germany (Now Poland) | Gas | 151 | Coal | 1 |
| 1930 | 10 | 21 | Grube Anna | Alsdorf | Aachener Revier | Germany | Explosion | 271 | Coal | 1 |
| 1930 | 10 | 25 | Grube Maybach | Friedrichsthal | Saarrevier | Germany | Explosion | 98 | Coal | 1 |
| 1931 | Waclaw coal mine | Mikolów | Poland | 151 | Coal | |||||
| 1934 | 1 | 3 | Lignitenbergwerk Zeche Nelson III | Osek | Erzgebirge | Czech Republic | Explosion | 142 | Lignite | |
| 1934 | 9 | 22 | Gresford | Wrexham, Wales | UK (Wales) | Explosion, Fire | 266 | Coal | 5 | |
| 1937 | 11 | 11 | Kogushi sulfur mine | western Gunma | Japan | Collapse | 245 | Sulfur | ||
| 1940 | 1 | 10 | Pond Creek No. 1 | Bartley | WV | USA | Explosion | 91 | Coal | 2 |
| 1940 | 3 | 16 | Blantyre | Lanarkshire | UK | Explosion | 72 | Coal | 2 | |
| 1941 | 5 | 10 | Rubengrube | Neurode (Nova Ruda) | Neuroder Revier | Germany (now Poland) | Gas | 186 | Coal | 1,8 |
| 1941 | Mitsubishi Bibai | Bibai | Hokkaidō | Japan | 177 | Coal | ||||
| 1942 | 2 | 3 | Chosei | Ube | Japan | 183 | Coal | |||
| 1942 | 4 | 26 | Honkeiko Colliery, China | Benxi | Liaoning | China | Explosion | 1549 | Coal | 4 |
| 1943 | 2 | 27 | Smith Mine | Red Lodge | MT | USA | Explosion | 74 | Coal | 2 |
| 1943 | 8 | 6 | Lignitenbergwerk Fohnsdorf | Fohnsdorf | Steiermark | Austria | Explosion | 102�€“104 | Lignite | 1 |
| 1944 | 3 | 16 | Zeche Hansa | Dortmund | Ruhrgebiet | Germany | Explosion | 95 | Coal | 1 |
| 1944 | 4 | 3 | Zeche Sachsen | Hamm | Ruhrgebiet | Germany | Explosion | 169 | Coal | 1 |
| 1944 | 9 | 10 | Zeche Monopol Schacht Grimberg 3/4 | Bergkamen | Ruhr | Germany | Explosion | 107 | Coal | 1,6 |
| 1945 | 6 | El Teniente | Chile | Carbon Monoxide | 355 | |||||
| 1946 | 2 | 20 | Zeche Monopol Schacht Grimberg 3/4 | Bergkamen | Ruhr | Germany | Explosion | 405 | Coal | 1 |
| 1947 | 3 | 25 | Centralia No. 5 | Centralia | IL | USA | Explosion | 111 | Coal | 2 |
| 1951 | 12 | 21 | Orient No. 2 | West Frankfort | IL | USA | Explosion | 119 | Coal | 2 |
| 1956 | 8 | 8 | Bois du Cazier | Marcinelle | Belgium | Fire | 262 | Coal | 1 | |
| 1960 | 1 | 21 | Coalbrook, South Africa | South Africa | Collapse, Gas | 437 | Coal | 4 | ||
| 1960 | 2 | 22 | Coalnwerk Karl Marx | Zwickau | Zwickauer Coalnrevier | Germany | Explosion | 123 | Coal | 1 |
| 1960 | 5 | 9 | Laobaidong colliery | Datong | Shanxi | China | Explosion | 682 | Coal | 4 |
| 1961 | 7 | 14 | Dukla | Ostrava | Czech Republic | 108 | Coal | 1 | ||
| 1962 | 2 | 7 | Luisenthal Mine | Völklingen | Saarland | Germany | Explosion | 299 | Coal | 1 |
| 1963 | 11 | 9 | Mitsui Miike | Omuta, Japan | Japan | Explosion | 447 | Coal | 4 | |
| 1965 | 3 | 28 | El Cobre | Chile | Earthquake, Dam Collapse | 200 | Copper | |||
| 1965 | 5 | 28 | Dhanbad, India | Bihar | India | Fire | 375 | Coal | 4 | |
| 1965 | 6 | 1 | Chikuho Yamano | Kyūshū | Japan | 236 | Coal | |||
| 1966 | 5 | 1 | Plakalnitsa | Sgorigrad, Vratsa | Bulgaria | Dam Collapse | 488 | Lead, Zinc | ||
| 1966 | 10 | 21 | Aberfan | UK (Wales) | Coal Tip Collapse | 144 | Coal | |||
| 1968 | 11 | 20 | Consol No. 9 | Farmington | WV | USA | Explosion | 78 | Coal | 2 |
| 1969 | 3 | 31 | Mina de Barroteran | Coahuila | Mexico | 153 | Coal | |||
| 1970 | 9 | 25 | Mufulira | Zambia | Mine Flood | 89 | Copper | |||
| 1972 | 2 | 26 | Buffalo Creek | WV | USA | Coal Slurry Flood | 125 | Coal | 2 | |
| 1972 | 5 | 2 | Sunshine Mine | Kellogg | ID | USA | Fire | 91 | Silver | 2 |
| 1972 | 6 | 6 | Wankie, Rhodesia | Rhodesia | Explosion | 427 | Coal | 4 | ||
| 1975 | 12 | 27 | Sudamdih Colliery | Dhanbad | India | Explosion, Flood | 372 | Coal | 4 | |
| 1977 | 7 | 15 | Amaga | Angelopolis | Antioquia | Colombia | 125 | Coal | ||
| 1980 | 3 | 27 | Alexander Kielland | Ekofisk oil field | Norway | Sinking | 123 | Oil Rig | ||
| 1982 | 2 | 15 | Ocean Ranger oil platform | Grand Banks of Newfoundland | Canada | Sinking | 84 | Oil Rig | ||
| 1983 | 3 | 8 | Armutçuk | Ere�Ÿli | Zonguldak | Turkey | 100 | Coal | ||
| 1984 | 2 | 25 | Vila Socó | São Paulo | Brazil | Fire | 500 | Oil Spill | ||
| 1984 | 7 | 10 | Meishan Coal Mine | Meishan | Ruifang | China | Fire and carbon monoxide | 103 | Coal | |
| 1984 | 11 | 19 | Pemex | San Juan Ixhuatepec (San Juanico) Mexico City | Mexico | Explosion | 500 | Gas Terminal | ||
| 1985 | 7 | 19 | Stava | Trento | Italy | Dam Collapse | 268 | Fluorite | ||
| 1986 | 9 | 16 | Kinross | Transvaal | South Africa | Fire | 177 | |||
| 1988 | 7 | 6 | Piper Alpha | North Sea | Explosion | 167 | Oil Rig | |||
| 1990 | 8 | 26 | Dobrnja-Jug | Tuzla | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Explosion | 180 | Coal | ||
| 1991 | 4 | 21 | Sanjiaohe | Hongdong | Shanxi | China | 147 | 4 | ||
| 1992 | 3 | 3 | Incirharmani | Kozlu | Zonguldak | Turkey | 263 | |||
| 1993 | 5 | 9 | Nambija | Ecuador | 300 | |||||
| 1995 | 5 | 11 | Vaal Reefs | South Africa | Elevator Failure | 105 | Gold | |||
| 1998 | 10 | 17 | Jesse | Nigeria | Explosion | 1200 | Pipeline | 7 | ||
| 2000 | 7 | 10 | Jesse | Nigeria | Explosion | 250 | Pipeline | 7 | ||
| 2000 | 7 | 16 | Warri | Nigeria | Explosion | 100 | Pipeline | 7 | ||
| 2000 | 9 | 26 | Muchonggou | Shuicheng | Guizhou | China | 159 | 4 | ||
| 2000 | 10 | 18 | Nandan county | Guangxi | China | Tailings Pond Collapse | 100 | |||
| 2001 | 7 | 16 | Guangxi | China | Flood | 200 | ||||
| 2001 | 7 | 17 | Shaanxi | China | Explosion | 150 | ||||
| 2002 | 6 | 20 | Chengzihe | Jixi | Heilongjiang | China | 124 | Gold | 4 | |
| 2003 | 6 | 19 | Umuahia | Abia | Nigeria | Explosion | 125 | Pipeline | 7 | |
| 2003 | 12 | 23 | PetroChina Chuandongbei | Guoqiao | Kai County | Chongqing | Explosion | 234 | Natural Gas Field | |
| 2004 | 10 | 20 | Daping | Tongchuan | Henan | China | 148 | Coal | 4 | |
| 2004 | 11 | 28 | Chenjiashan | Tongchuan | Shaanxi | China | Explosion | 166 | Coal | 4 |
| 2005 | 2 | 15 | Sunjiawan | Fuxin | Liaoning | China | Explosion | 214 | Coal | 4 |
| 2005 | 8 | 6 | Daxing | Xingning | Guangdong | China | Flooding | 123 | Coal | 4 |
| 2005 | 11 | 27 | Dongfeng | Qitaihe | Heilongjiang | China | Explosion | 134 | Coal | 4 |
| 2005 | 12 | 7 | Liuguantun Colliery | Hebei | China | Explosion | 150 | Coal | 4 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 12 | Atlas Creek Island | Lagos | Nigeria | Explosion | 100 | Pipeline | 7 | |
| 2006 | 12 | 26 | Lagos | Nigeria | Explosion | 260-500 | Pipeline | 7 | ||
| 2007 | 3 | 19 | Ulyanovskaya | Novokuznetsk | Kuzbass Siberia | Russia | Explosion | 108 | Coal | |
| 2007 | 8 | 17 | Huayuan- and Minggong-Mine | Huayuan, Xintai | Shandong | China | Flooding | 181 | Coal | 4 |
| 2007 | 11 | 18 | Zasyadko | Donetsk | Ukraine | Explosion | 101 | Coal | ||
| 2007 | 12 | 5 | Xinyao Mine | Ruizhiyuan, Linfen | Shanxi | China | 105 | Coal | 4 | |
| 2008 | 9 | 8 | Linfen | Shanxi | China | Tailings Pond Collapse | 254 | |||
| 2009 | 11 | 22 | Longmei Mine | Hgang | Heilongjiang | China | Explosion | 104 | Coal | 4 |
| 2011 | 9 | 12 | Nairobi | Kenya | Explosion | 100 | Pipeline | 7 | ||
| 2014 | 5 | 13 | Soma Mine | Soma | Turkey | Fire | 301 | Coal | ||
| 2019 | 1 | 25 | Brumadinho | Brazil | Tailings dam collapse | 270 | Iron | |||
| 2020 | 7 | 2 | Hpakant | Myanmar | Landslide | 113 | Jade |
And now for some good news. A couple of disasters on some lists appear to be spurious. Several lists include a 1937 disaster in Grundy, VA that killed 257. I cannot find any confirmation of this event, although a disaster in 1938 killed 45. Reports of a gold mine collapse that killed 200 in Sierra Leone in March 2010 appear to have been a hoax.
Notes
Incidents not otherwise noted can be found in generic lists of disasters such as those on Wikipedia. Most have individual articles on line.
The Coal Mining History Resource Center (http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters/) contains a huge amount of data on coal mining disasters in England but suffers from the fatal defect of not tabulating casualties in its lists of accidents, reducing its historical utility greatly.
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Created 31 March 2008, Last Update 11 January 2020