More than fifty people were reportedly trapped after a coal mine collapsed in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Wednesday afternoon. According to the state media, two individuals have been confirmed dead and three were rescued, two of whom showed no signs of life.
The Xinjing Coal Mining Company operated the shaft where the collapse occurred, and reports suggest that a wide area was affected. In addition to the people trapped, vehicles were also buried in the incident.
Inner Mongolia is a major mining region in China, and the industry has been criticized for its negative impacts on the environment. Despite improvements in safety protocols, accidents still occur frequently due to lax safety regulations, especially at smaller sites.
In December 2020, a gold mine in Xinjiang collapsed, trapping forty people. Half of them were rescued. In 2021, twenty miners were rescued from a flooded coal mine in Shanxi province, while two others died.
These incidents demonstrate the need for increased safety measures in the mining industry, as well as greater accountability for companies that fail to comply with safety regulations. The Chinese government must take action to ensure that mining sites are properly regulated and that workers are provided with adequate protection.