International Desk: At least two people have lost their lives in a coal mine collapse in China. More than 50 workers are missing. The accident took place in the Inner Mongolia region in the north of the country on Wednesday (February 22).
Six people have been rescued alive from an open-pit coal mine in Alxa League, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.However, the rescue operation for the trapped people was called off on Wednesday evening due to a major landslide. As of the date of this report on Thursday, there was no news of the resumption of operations.
President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to make “all possible efforts” to quickly find survivors. More than 900 rescue personnel have been deployed at the scene.
Earlier, the collapse happened in the coal mine around 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday. So far, 53 people are missing. Rescue team leader Wei Zhiguo told CCTV that the rescue operation was disrupted by a large landslide on Wednesday evening.
Authorities said dozens of rescue workers and several vehicles were buried in the landslide that occurred in a large area this evening. The coal mine was operated by Jinjing Coal Mining Company, CCTV said.
China’s top coal-producing region is Inner Mongolia. Mining accidents are often reported in the country. There are allegations that safety laws are not properly enforced in the coal industry. The carbon monoxide leak killed 23 workers. In January 2021, another 10 workers were killed in an explosion at a gold mine in Shandong province.
