(BEIJING) Relief was mobilized in China on Sunday to help 18 people trapped underground after a gold mine collapsed in the (northwest) region of Xinjiang, according to state media.
The accident occurred at around 1:40 p.m. Saturday (12:40 a.m. EST) in Yining County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, according to Xinhua. The region is located about a hundred kilometers from Kazakhstan.
A total of 40 people were working underground when the accident occurred. 22 miners are brought to the surface, but 18 are still trapped.
“Rescue operations are underway to retrieve the miners,” Xinhua said Saturday evening.
Mine safety has improved in recent decades in China, as has media coverage of these accidents, many of which were previously ignored.
But accidents still happen regularly, due to the danger lurking in the sector and the sometimes haphazard application of safety instructions.
In December 2021, two stranded miners died in a flooded coal mine in Shanxi (north) and 20 others were rescued after rescue operations.
In September last year, 19 miners trapped underground after a coal mine collapse in Qinghai Province (northwest) were found dead after a long search.
