Death toll rises to 8 in deadly coal mine landslide

Four more bodies were retrieved as of Thursday noon following a landslide at an open-pit coal mine in north China’s Shanxi Province, bringing the total number of fatalities to eight, according to the front-line relief headquarters.

A landslide took place at an open-pit coal mine in north China’s Shanxi Province on Aug. 11. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

The accident occurred at around 3 p.m. at Lyuxin coal mine on Aug. 11 in Heshun County, but the coal mine company denied the casualties until its head turned himself in to police Tuesday, confessing that about 10 people were buried in the accident.

At least one person remains missing, but the exact number of people buried is not yet known.

A total of 13 excavators and 33 emergency vehicles are clearing the stones and draining water from the bottom of the pit, according to the relief headquarters. Rescue workers found the landslide volume was much larger than the previously estimated 200,000 cubic meters.

The county’s coal administration head Zhang Ruiqing has been removed from his post.

Rescue work and further investigation are under way.

Lyuxin coal mine, under the Shanxi Coal Transportation and Sales Group Co., Ltd., has an annual coal capacity of 2 million tonnes.