Illegal production practices, falsified monitoring data and weak implementation of safety rules may have contributed to the deadly gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Qinyuan county, Shanxi province, coal safety experts said.

The blast occurred underground at the mine operated by the Shanxi Tongzhou Group in Changzhi on Friday evening. The accident killed 82 people, left two missing and injured 128 others as disclosed at a news conference on Saturday.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the company allegedly maintained two sets of mine maps and monitoring systems — one for regulatory filing and data uploads, and another for actual production. Hidden working areas were reportedly left unmarked, disguised with false doors and sprayed concrete, and sealed during inspections before being reopened afterward.

These areas were not monitored, reported, included in output calculations or taxed, while internal gas and personnel-positioning data were allegedly altered.

Experts said such practices severely undermine the effectiveness of safety supervision and make it difficult for regulators to identify risks in time.

Ding Linlin, an official in charge of ventilation at the Tashan Coal Mine under the Jinneng Holding Coal Industry Group, said China's coal mine safety rules and industry standards are already detailed and comprehensive, but the key lies in strict implementation.

For high-gas mines such as Liushenyu, production should follow the principle of gas drainage before mining, combined monitoring and control, with output constrained by ventilation capacity. Ding said that if gas sensors, monitoring systems and personnel-positioning devices had been properly installed and functioning, risks would have been easier to detect.

At the time of the accident, 103 of the 247 workers underground were not carrying positioning cards. Rescue operations were also hampered because the actual underground tunnel layout did not match the maps provided.

Ding said abnormal production can usually be detected by regulators through changes in electricity use, ventilation and water demand.

"If there is even one more working face, electricity use, ventilation and water demand will change significantly," he said.

He added that gas risks should be addressed before they reach alarm thresholds. Even when methane levels rise abnormally but have not yet exceeded limits, mines should analyze the cause and take preventive measures.

"No matter how much a company values production, safety must come first," Ding said.

Tong Mingquan, head of the science and technology management department at Huayang New Material Technology Group, said gas remains the top safety risk in many mines, as toxic gases released after explosions can rapidly endanger workers. "Gas accidents must be prevented first. You cannot rely on rescue after an accident," Tong said.

He added that gas drainage is critical in high-gas mines and may be more important than coal extraction itself. If drainage is insufficient, production may trigger alarms as soon as coal is cut, requiring operations to stop until conditions are safe.

Experts said intelligent mining systems can enhance safety by reducing underground personnel and enabling real-time monitoring of methane, carbon monoxide and other indicators. However, they stressed that technology cannot replace strict management.

Tong noted that some workers may attempt to cover or interfere with sensors to avoid production stoppages when alarms occur frequently. Ding added that falsification is the most dangerous problem in coal mine safety supervision.

"Problems themselves are not the scariest part," Ding said. "The scariest part is when problems cannot be discovered."