A methane explosion in a coal mine in Nueva Rosita, Mexico, trapped and killed 65 miners.

Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CH₄. It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes it an economically attractive fuel, although capturing and storing it is difficult because it is a gas at standard temperature and pressure. In the Earth's atmosphere methane is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. Methane is an organic compound, and among the simplest of organic compounds. Methane is also a hydrocarbon.

Nueva Rosita is a town in the northeastern part of the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico. It lies about 11 km (7 mi) northwest of the city of Sabinas on Federal Highway 57, and serves as the municipal seat of San Juan de Sabinas municipality.

The Pasta de Conchos mine disaster occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. CST on February 19, 2006, after a methane explosion within a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, San Juan de Sabinas Municipality, in the Mexican state of Coahuila. The mines were run by Grupo México, the largest mining company in the country. It was estimated that 65 miners, who were working the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift that morning, were trapped underground by the explosion. Only 2 of the 65 bodies have been recovered.