Focusing on a typical coal mine accident in China, this paper aims to enhance the emergency ability against fatal gas explosions in coal mines. The research data were obtained from the emergency rescue report and an interview with members of the rescue team. The emergency response process of the coal mine was reviewed in details from the angles of emergency organization, decision and disposal. It is concluded that the ventilation recovery and gas discharging must be executed with safety measures, the poor emergency response can be attributed to the customary emergency response mechanism and the lack of emergency knowledge, and the leader of the rescue team must adopt the first and third options to prevent the casualty of the rescuers. The findings of this study offer new insights into the handling of fatal gas explosions in other coal mines.
