War II in 1945, when they were defeated and forced to withdraw from China. Following the Japanese withdrawal, the Chinese workers took control of the site. With the liberation after the war, the Soviet Union investigated the accident. They found that only some of the workers died directly from the gas and coal-dust explosion. Most deaths were from carbon monoxide poisoning produced when the Japanese closed the ventilation and sealed the pit head after the initial explosion. See also Coal in China References 1942 in China 1942 mining disasters Coal mining disasters in China Dust explosions Explosions in 1942 History of Liaoning Industrial fires and explosions in China World War II sites in China 1942 disasters in China