Six people were killed and several others are missing after a coal mine collapsed in northern China.
According to the French news agency AFP, a rescue operation involving hundreds of workers is underway after a 180-meter-high slope collapsed in a mine in Inner Mongolia’s Alaxa Left Banner on Wednesday.
Relief operations were initially hampered after another landslide on the same day.
According to China‘s state-run CCTV channel, 47 people are still missing while six have been rescued alive and the bodies of six have been recovered.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has urged that all possible efforts be made to find the missing personnel.
He said that saving lives is still the top priority.
In the CCTV footage, rescue workers wearing orange suits and yellow helmets can be seen removing the debris.
State media said the mine collapse affected a “vast area” of the mine operated by Zinjing Coal Mining Company. It is not yet clear what caused the ear to fall.
However, Chinese police are investigating the accident and the Ministry of Emergency Management has also called for a ‘comprehensive investigation’.
