Six suspects related to a coal mine flooding accident caused by illegal mining on Wednesday night that left 21 people stranded in the mine well in Xiaoyi, North China’s Shanxi Province have been caught by the local police, the city’s government announced on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the local government, a manhunt for other related personnel is underway with the authorities tracking down other suspects with all efforts, including the owner of the mine.
According to media reports, the flood accident happened in the coal mine in a village in Xiaoyi around 11 pm on Wednesday. It was caused by illegal coal mining. The entrance to the mine well had only some steel pipes to support it.
The entrance was so simple and crude that it was hard to tell it was the entrance to a coal mine. The soil around the well entrance was so loose that it was collapsing as well.
At present, the drainage work is being conducted in an orderly manner and the water level has begun to drop.
However, since the coal mining behavior was illegal, there was no specific mark for the terrain situations in the mine, which has brought great difficulties to the rescue work.
The low temperatures in the area also brought difficulties and uncertainties to the rescue work.
Rescue scene of the coal mine flooding accident in Xiaoyi city, North China’s Shanxi Province Photo: Screenshot from Sina Weibo
