Collapse at a mine in China: 6 dead, 47 miners missing

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China's Inner Mongolia region ordered inspections of all its mining operations on Friday after at least six people died in a coal mine collapse, 47 more still missing , according to Reuters.

A mine operated by a small local firm, Xinjing Coal Mining Co, collapsed on Wednesday under an avalanche of rocks, leaving workers buried under a pile of rubble.

By 10:30 pm (2:30 pm), state media reported GMT) on Thursday, six people were pulled alive from the rubble.

The scale of the collapse at the mine was half a kilometer wide and about 80 meters high, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

According to state media, the second landslide has halted rescue efforts as the risk of more landslides is very high.

About half of Inner Mongolia's coal mines are open pit. It was not clear if the mines would continue to operate during safety checks.< br />
State media reported that three hundred rescuers used heavy equipment and rescue dogs to search for the miners.

Li Zhongzeng, head of Alks League city, said the rescue mission has been hampered by the threat of more landslides and rock falls, and rescue plans include multi-level excavations and trapezoidal descent methods on both sides of the mountain, CCTV News reported Friday.
< br /> Inner Mongolia is the country's second largest coal mining region. Other key coal mining provinces such as Shanxi and Shaanxi have also ordered mine safety inspections.

In 2012, the mine, which was once underground, was moved to an open pit, according to state media reports. />
Coal is China's main source of energy, but its mines are among the deadliest in the world, largely due to lax enforcement of safety standards despite repeated government decrees to improve safety over the years.

China's mines have been trying to increase production over the past year in line with the government's call to increase supplies and stabilize prices

This coincided with an increase in accidents and deaths in the sector. Data released by the National Security Administration mining industry in China this month showed that the number of accidents in coal mines almost doubled in 2022 compared to 2021, and the death toll hit a six-year high of 245, just after China called for more coal production.

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