Owner of collapsed mine kills himself
Print Edition
THE owner of a gypsum mine in east China’s Shandong Province where a cave-in left one person dead and 17 trapped committed suicide yesterday, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ma Congbo, chairman of the Yurong company in Pingyi County, was assisting with rescue efforts yesterday morning when he jumped into a well and drowned, the report said, citing a briefing by the rescue command center.
The mine collapsed about 8am on Friday when 29 people were working underground. Four people managed to escape and seven more were pulled out later.
One of those rescued is in a stable condition in intensive care, but no one else sustained serious injuries, the report said.
Nearly 700 rescuers are trying to reach the trapped miners in two locations by using existing shafts that were damaged by the collapse.
They are also using heavy machinery to gain access to one of the locations, but the structural instability of the tunnel and falling rocks are hindering efforts, the rescue team said.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation, Xinhua reported.
Mao Yanqing, who was working in the mine, said he experienced shock waves “like a hurricane” when the accident happened.
“When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital (with two broken legs),” he was quoted as saying.
Zhai Guangming was also underground at the time of the collapse.
“After the cave-in, I could see nothing at all,” he said.
The provincial government yesterday ordered all gypsum mines to suspend operations pending safety checks. Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral that is widely used in construction.
Chinese authorities have typically meted out harsh punishments, including prison sentences, to company management and local work safety officials following major work safety disasters. Still, a lack of regulatory oversight prevails, and cost-conscious management fail to pay enough heed to work safety.
The mine collapse came just days after a landslide from a man-made pileup of construction waste in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, killed one person and left another 75 missing and presumed dead.
A total of 931 people were killed in accidents in China’s coal mines last year, according to official figures.
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