In a process for producing liquid pig iron (9) or semifinished steel products from finely divided iron-containing materials (4) in a melting gasifier (1), the iron-containing materials (4) are molten in a bed of solid carbon-containing materials (2) to which carbon-containing materials (2) and oxygen-containing gas are supplied, at the same time as a reduction gas is generated. The finely divided reduced materials (4) and the oxygen are laterally introduced into the bed (20, 21). To enable the finely divided iron-containing materials to be introduced into the melting gasifier (1) without being previously briquetted and thus to prevent the finely divided iron-containing materials (4) from being discharged by the reduction gas generated in the melting gasifier (1), a fluidised bed (21) of finely divided solid carbon-containing materials (2) and finely divided iron-containing reduced materials (4) is created above a solid bed (20) of solid carbon-containing materials (2). The finely divided reduced materials (4) are brought directly into contact with oxygen in the fluidised bed (21), preferably in the form of a jet having a ring-shaped cross-section which surrounds the periphery of a jet of oxygen, so that the oxygen is surrounded by the supply of finely divided reduced materials (4), which are then molten in the fluidised bed.