2 dead in mine disaster
At least 50 missing in China coal pit collapse in Inner Mongolia
At least 50 are missing, two are dead and six are injured after a coal mine collapsed in the Inner Mongolia region of China on Wednesday, authorities there said.
“A number of workers and vehicles were buried in a large-scale collapse which happened at around 1 p.m. at the open-pit coal mine in Alxa Left Banner,” state broadcaster CCTV reported, according to the South China Morning Post.
A “wide area” of the mine caved in, the SCMP reported.
President Xi Jinping ordered a search and rescue for the 53 people missing and still believed to be trapped, demanding “all-out efforts in search and rescue of the missing and treatment of the injured,” Xinhua reported, with his priority “ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property and maintaining overall social stability.”
The search consumed more than 300 rescue workers operating 129 rescue vehicles in the mine, located in the autonomous region’s southwestern administrative division, state media said. Six rescue dogs are also part of the effort, CNN reported, citing Chinese state media CCTV.
The National Health Commission said 15 ambulances and 45 medical staff have been sent to the site, Reuters reported.
By 7 p.m. local time, eight people had been pulled out, two of them dead, authorities said.
Chinese leaders demanded answers, with Premier Li Keqiang calling for an immediate investigation into the accident’s cause, Reuters reported.
Coal is the main source of energy in China, and Inner Mongolia is one of China’s main producing regions. Over the past year, the industry has amped up production amid a government push to increase local supply and stabilize coal prices. The Chinese government has at the same time put a stronger emphasis on safety and closed down smaller operations that did not furnish proper equipment.
Inner Mongolia Xinjing Coal Industry Co. Ltd., which operates the mine, was fined last year for numerous safety violations. It was accused of providing insecure access routes to the mining surface, failing to safely store volatile materials and inadequately training safety overseers.
In recent months, Chinese authorities have logged numerous fatal industrial and construction accidents blamed on inadequate safety training and lax regulation, as well as corruption at official levels, combined with companies’ profit-enhancing cost-cutting measures.