Hope fading for miners in mudslide
Source: Xinhua |
April 1, 2013, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AUTHORITIES say chances are slim that any survivors will be found after a massive mudslide at a gold mine in the Tibet Autonomous Region buried 83 workers in piles of earth up to 30 meters deep.
Searchers retrieved 15 bodies yesterday to bring the total to 17 and they were still searching for the 66 still unaccounted for.
The workers were buried when mud, rock and debris swept through the mine in Gyama village in Maizhokunggar County early last Friday, covering an area measuring around 4 square kilometers. The mine is about 70 kilometers east of the regional capital Lhasa.
Tibet's Deputy Party Secretary W. Yingjie said the chances of finding anyone alive were slim.
The miners worked for Huatailong Mining Development, a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corp, a state-owned enterprise and the country's largest gold producer.
The disaster struck a workers' camp at the Jiama Copper Polymetallic Mine at about 6am, when many of the workers were thought to have been sleeping.
The identities of the miners have been confirmed and their relatives are on their way to Lhasa. The majority of the victims were from geological institutes or mining companies from northwestern Gansu Province, southwestern Guizhou Province and Lhasa.
"Large swathes of rocks suddenly fell down from the mountaintop and the huge sound could be heard in the whole valley. It was a terrible scene," a villager living nearby said.
So far, Zhao Linjiang is the camp's only survivor.
He had gone down the mountain to buy tents on Wednesday, and was shocked to find on his return that the camp had gone, his younger brother Zhao Malin buried along with the other miners.
"I was numbed by the scene, and trudged back and forth, crying all along," Zhao said in Lhasa, wiping tears from his eyes. "It's so cosy here, but my brother is so cold up there on the mountain."
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have ordered exhaustive efforts to rescue the buried workers.
On Saturday, rescuers managed to recover two bodies but the huge amount of debris, the 4,600-meter altitude and snow hampered their efforts.
Yesterday, more heavy-duty machinery was transported to the site where at least 50 excavating machines were working non-stop to remove debris.
Despite suffering from altitude sickness, soldiers and armed policemen were racing against time to sift through the debris in the hope of finding survivors.
"I have barely had any sleep since I came here," armed policeman Lu Wenkai said.
"Apart from eating and sleep, I have been working all the time since I arrived here early yesterday morning," said another soldier. "I am tormented with a headache but I have to continue my work."
"We have no plans to stop the rescue operation. Instead, we have sped up our rescue efforts with more devices," said Xiang Mingqing, an armed police officer at the scene.
"There are cracks on the mountaintop and secondary disasters are possible," said Jiang Yi, another officer.
"We have treated rescuers who suffered altitude sickness or a fever due to the snowy weather," said Li Suzhi, president of the General Hospital of Tibetan Military Area Command.
Li, leading a team of more than 40 members, arrived at the site on Saturday afternoon.
Some 3,500 rescuers, 300 pieces of heavy machinery, 10 sniffer dogs and 20 life detectors have been mobilized at the site, according to the rescue headquarters.
Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, said: "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will never give up our rescue efforts."
Searchers retrieved 15 bodies yesterday to bring the total to 17 and they were still searching for the 66 still unaccounted for.
The workers were buried when mud, rock and debris swept through the mine in Gyama village in Maizhokunggar County early last Friday, covering an area measuring around 4 square kilometers. The mine is about 70 kilometers east of the regional capital Lhasa.
Tibet's Deputy Party Secretary W. Yingjie said the chances of finding anyone alive were slim.
The miners worked for Huatailong Mining Development, a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corp, a state-owned enterprise and the country's largest gold producer.
The disaster struck a workers' camp at the Jiama Copper Polymetallic Mine at about 6am, when many of the workers were thought to have been sleeping.
The identities of the miners have been confirmed and their relatives are on their way to Lhasa. The majority of the victims were from geological institutes or mining companies from northwestern Gansu Province, southwestern Guizhou Province and Lhasa.
"Large swathes of rocks suddenly fell down from the mountaintop and the huge sound could be heard in the whole valley. It was a terrible scene," a villager living nearby said.
So far, Zhao Linjiang is the camp's only survivor.
He had gone down the mountain to buy tents on Wednesday, and was shocked to find on his return that the camp had gone, his younger brother Zhao Malin buried along with the other miners.
"I was numbed by the scene, and trudged back and forth, crying all along," Zhao said in Lhasa, wiping tears from his eyes. "It's so cosy here, but my brother is so cold up there on the mountain."
President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have ordered exhaustive efforts to rescue the buried workers.
On Saturday, rescuers managed to recover two bodies but the huge amount of debris, the 4,600-meter altitude and snow hampered their efforts.
Yesterday, more heavy-duty machinery was transported to the site where at least 50 excavating machines were working non-stop to remove debris.
Despite suffering from altitude sickness, soldiers and armed policemen were racing against time to sift through the debris in the hope of finding survivors.
"I have barely had any sleep since I came here," armed policeman Lu Wenkai said.
"Apart from eating and sleep, I have been working all the time since I arrived here early yesterday morning," said another soldier. "I am tormented with a headache but I have to continue my work."
"We have no plans to stop the rescue operation. Instead, we have sped up our rescue efforts with more devices," said Xiang Mingqing, an armed police officer at the scene.
"There are cracks on the mountaintop and secondary disasters are possible," said Jiang Yi, another officer.
"We have treated rescuers who suffered altitude sickness or a fever due to the snowy weather," said Li Suzhi, president of the General Hospital of Tibetan Military Area Command.
Li, leading a team of more than 40 members, arrived at the site on Saturday afternoon.
Some 3,500 rescuers, 300 pieces of heavy machinery, 10 sniffer dogs and 20 life detectors have been mobilized at the site, according to the rescue headquarters.
Yang Dongliang, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, said: "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we will never give up our rescue efforts."
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