3 bodies recovered, 6 rescued as search for 53 trapped miners in China's Inner Mongolia continues

February 23, 2023

- A video shows several workers and vehicles buried in aftermath of mine collapse in Alxa League town on Wednesday afternoon, state-run media said

By Islamuddin Sajid

ANKARA (AA) - Chinese authorities retrieved three bodies and rescued six people from a collapsed coal mine in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Thursday, while the search and rescue operation for another 50 trapped miners continued, the state-run media said.

The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon in Alxa League town in Inner Mongolia, when a large section of the coal mine collapsed, leaving 53 people missing, two dead, and six injured, according to the Global Times.

Six rescued miners have been transferred to a hospital in Qingtongxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Northwest China.

A video shows several workers and vehicles buried in the aftermath of the mine collapse.

About 300 fire and rescue personnel, 60 fire trucks, six rescue dogs, and experts from the region have already arrived at the site for a complex operation, according to the daily.

The collapse may have been caused by a landslide, the daily said, quoting an employee who added that approximately 600 miners were employed at the mine site.

According to another worker, the mine was very deep when the incident happened. When the mine collapsed, stones and ash rolled down, and the majority of those buried beneath are a digger and tip truck drivers, he added.

The mine was closed in 2012, but it was converted into an open-pit mine, and production resumed in April 2021.