Rescue work for at least 50 people who were buried under the rubble of a collapsed open-pit mine in north China has been suspended after another landslide occurred.
According to the Chinese state press, at least two people died and another six were injured, after the disaster, which occurred on Wednesday, in the Inner Mongolia region, in the extreme north of the Asian country.
At least 50 people are still missing.
The official Xinhua news agency reported that the second collapse occurred at 6:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. Lisbon time), some five hours after one of the mine walls gave way. Mine workers and trucks were buried under approximately 3.5 million tons of sand and stone.
Some 900 rescuers have been sent to the scene, including officials from the Ministry of Emergency Management, which is developing a rescue plan, according to state media.
As of early Thursday, work was still suspended due to security concerns, Xinhua reported.
It is not known when work will resume.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “full efforts in search and rescue operations” aimed at “ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property and maintaining social stability.”
The company that runs the mine, Xinjing Coal Industry Co. Ltd., was fined last year for various safety violations, including unsafe access routes to the surface of mines, unsafe storage of volatile materials or the lack of preparation of personnel in charge of security, according to the news portal The Paper.
China relies predominantly on coal for power, but has worked to reduce the number of fatal accidents in mines by placing greater emphasis on safety and shutting down smaller operations that lacked necessary equipment.
Most mining deaths are attributed to explosions caused by methane and coal dust buildup.
China has witnessed a series of deadly industrial and construction accidents in recent months as a result of poor training and safety regulations, corruption and a tendency to cut costs by companies seeking to maximize profits.
In 2015, two explosions at chemical facilities in the port area of the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin killed at least 165 people and caused more than $1 billion in damage.
Source: TSF
