China mine collapse leaves at least 5 dead and 49 missing after workers were buried in disaster

The death toll in the disaster has now risen to five as conditions in the area remain dangerous and searches had to be suspended for several hours after a second landslide. the gigantic installation of the Alxa League in Inner Mongolia

Video loading

Video not available

Click to playTap to play

China: Coal mine collapses in Inner Mongolia region

Rescuers dig through tons of dirt and rubble for 49 people missing after a landslide buried an open pit mine.

The death toll in the disaster has now risen to five as conditions in the area remain dangerous and the search had to be suspended for several hours after a second landslide hit the massive League of Nations facility. 'Alxa in Inner Mongolia, northern China.

The initial collapse of one of the pit walls occurred around 1:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, burying the people and mining trucks working below in tons of rock and sand.

Five hours later, another landslide struck, forcing work to stop.

The collapse left a pile of debris around 500m wide and around 80m high, with dramatic footage from security cameras showing an avalanche of rocks and earth falling down one side from the mountain into the pit of the mine.

“I had just started work at 1:15 p.m. when I realized stones were falling from the mountain,” a hospitalized miner told state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday.

Rescuers gather at the site of a mine collapse (

Picture:

PA)

More than 470 rescuers worked at the scene, alongside 40 medical workers, team leader Wei Zhiguo told CCTV from the scene. An additional 200-member team has also been mobilised, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "all possible search and rescue efforts" and "to ensure the safety of people's lives and property and maintain overall social stability".

CCTV footage of the collapse showed a massive wall of debris rolling down a slope onto people and vehicles below.

The company that operates the mine, Inner Mongolia Xinjing Coal Industry Co. Ltd., was fined last year for multiple safety violations ranging from unsecured routes to and from the pit, to storage hazardous volatile materials and a lack of training for its security personnel.