A tragic mining accident occurred in southwest China on Wednesday, claiming the lives of seven people and leaving one other trapped. The incident took place at approximately 10:00 am at a coal mine in Leshan, Sichuan province, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
CCTV reported that the accident happened while workers were engaged in closing a ventilation shaft, but details of the specific cause have not been released. Initially, eight individuals were trapped, and rescue efforts were immediately mobilized. As of 2:00 pm, the search and rescue teams had recovered the bodies of seven victims, while the search for the remaining trapped individual continued with full force.
While mine safety in China has seen significant improvements in recent decades, with increased media attention given to major incidents, accidents unfortunately remain a recurring concern in the industry. Safety protocols are often lax, particularly at less sophisticated mining sites.
The accident in Leshan follows a major disaster in February of last year, where a slope at an open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia collapsed, burying numerous people and vehicles. Subsequent reports from state media revealed that 53 individuals were confirmed dead or unaccounted for when search and rescue operations concluded two weeks later. This tragic incident underscores the persistent challenges faced by the Chinese mining industry in ensuring the safety of its workers.
