The death toll in the coal mine collapse in northern China has risen to four, with dozens still missing. More than 50 people reportedly trapped when a 180-meter high collapsed. Incident happened at the open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia region. Hundreds of rescuers rushed to the site but a massive landslide hampered their progress. Another landslide temporarily stopped their efforts later that day. However, the rescuers resumed their work, and at least four people have died, six are injured, and 49 are unaccounted for.
A rescued worker named Ma Jianping said, “I had just started work when I saw slag falling down the slope. The situation got worse and worse.” He said, “We tried to organise an evacuation, but it was too late — the slope came down.”. The cause of the collapse is unknown, and calls to the company have gone unanswered.
China’s President Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to do everything possible to rescue the missing people. Police are investigating the collapse, and the relevant personnel are currently under control, according to CCTV. The Alxa Left Banner area is located in China’s arid north, a region that relies heavily on mining and other extractive industries. Although mine safety has improved in recent decades, accidents still occur frequently in an industry where safety protocols are often lax.
In December, when a gold mine collapsed in northwestern Xinjiang region around 40 people trapped in that incident too. And in 2021, 20 miners were rescued from a flooded coal mine in northern Shanxi province, while two others died. The injured from the recent collapse in Inner Mongolia are in stable condition, according to CCTV.
