Relief is mobilized in China on Sunday to help 18 people trapped underground after the collapse of a gold mine in the Xinjiang region (Northwest), according to official media.
The incident occurred around 1:40 p.m. (0540 GMT) on Saturday in Yining County, Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Illi, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The area is located about a hundred kilometers from Kazakhstan.
A total of 40 people were working underground when the incident occurred.
Twenty-two miners were brought to the surface but 18 remain trapped.
"
Rescue operations are underway to recover the miners
," Xinhua said on Saturday evening.
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Mine safety has improved in recent decades in China, as has the media coverage of these incidents, many of which were once overlooked.
But accidents still occur regularly, due to the inherent danger of the sector and the sometimes random application of safety instructions.
In December 2021, two miners who were stranded in a flooded coal mine in Shanxi (north) died and 20 others were saved after rescue operations.
In September last year, 19 miners trapped underground after the collapse of a coal mine in Qinghai province (northwest) were found dead after a long search.
