January 25, 2021
Anna Murray
Chinese rescuers have been working at the site of a gold mine explosion since January 10 where 22 miners were trapped underground in Qixia of Shandong province. Finally, the first gold miner was rescued on January 24 and was rushed to hospital in critical condition. The next 10 miners, including one injured, were later retrieved from 600 meters (1,969 feet) deep of the Hushan mine.
A blast occurred at 240 meters (800 feet) deep from the gold mine's entrance on January 10, created about 70 tons of debris and trapped 22 miners. Rescuers kept searching till January 25 and found the bodies of 9 miners. Up to now, one miner is still missing.
China’s mines are notorious since the industrial safety regulations in China have been reportedly poorly enforced, which often results in quite common mining accidents every year. In December 2019, at least 14 miners were killed in an explosion at a coal mine in Guizhou province. In September of 2020, 16 coal miners were killed by carbon monoxide at a mine on the outskirts of Chongqing. Later in December, 23 coal miners were poisoned to death after a carbon monoxide leak at the Diaoshuidong mine in Chongqing. According to the National Mine Safety Administration, there were 573 mine-related deaths in the country in 2020.
Photo:Webshot.