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18 Trapped in Xinjiang Gold Mine Collapse

by Agence France-Presse

   BEIJING --

   Rescuers were working Sunday to reach 18 people trapped underground
   after a cave-in at a gold mine in northwest China's Xinjiang region,
   state media reported.

   A total of 40 people were working underground at the mine in Yining
   county, about 100 kilometers from the border with Kazakhstan, at the
   time of the collapse Saturday afternoon.

   Twenty-two miners were brought to the surface but 18 remain trapped.

   "A rescue operation is underway to retrieve the remaining miners,"
   Xinhua news agency said late Saturday.

   Mine safety has improved in recent decades, as has media coverage of
   major incidents, many of which were once overlooked.

   But accidents still occur frequently in an industry where safety
   instructions are often lax, especially at the most rudimentary sites.

   In September last year, 19 miners stranded underground after the
   collapse of a coal mine in the northwest province of Qinghai were found
   dead after a long search.

   But in December 2021, 20 miners were rescued from a flooded coal mine
   in northern Shanxi province while two others died.