1887 Nanaimo mine explosion

Although past documents put the death toll at 148, researchers have since revised the number to 150, including 53 Chinese workers.

Chinese workers were listed in the government inquest and annual report of the Minister of Mines as "Chinamen, names unknown", followed by a tag number.

Some accounts suggest that 48 of the 53 miners had the surname of Mah — records may have been destroyed when Nanaimo's Chinatown burned to the ground in 1960.

[failed verification][citation needed][dubious – discuss] Operated by the Vancouver Coal Company, the Number One mine opened in 1884 at the foot of Milton Street in Nanaimo.

After the explosion, the mine re-opened and produced 18 million tons of coal before permanently closing in 1938.