Rescue crews trying to find 47 people missing after a collapse at an open-pit mine in northern China have had to change their excavation methods to avoid causing more landslides, state media reported yesterday.
Six people have been confirmed dead and six injured people have been rescued at the mine in Inner Mongolia’s Alxa Left Banner as of Thursday night, China Central Television (CCTV) said.
With a large collapsed area at the mine, the digging done by backhoes and bulldozers can risk more collapses, CCTV said, adding that rescue teams were making trapezoid-shaped descents and excavating by layers to carry on their search from both sides of the mountain in an adjustment of their plans.
Photo: EPA-EFE / XINHUA
“It is very challenging to conduct rescue work,” local official Li Zhongzeng told CCTV. “Rescue efforts from everywhere, including those in neighboring regions, are rushing to the site.”
The initial cave-in of one of the pit’s walls occurred at about 1pm on Wednesday, burying people and mining trucks below in tons of rocks and sand.
FOOTAGE RELEASED
A brief video of the collapse posted on the Web site of the Beijing Times showed a massive wall of reddish dirt or sand rushing down a slope onto mining vehicles moving below.
A subsequent landslide about five hours later halted rescue efforts before they resumed on Thursday.
Xinhua news agency said about 900 rescuers with heavy equipment were on the scene.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) called for an “all-out” search-and-rescue effort.
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