BEIJING (AP) — At least two people have died and more than 50 are missing after a cave-in at an open-pit mine in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region, state media reported Wednesday.
The victims were buried under the rubble of the Alxa League mine, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Rescuers extracted three people from the wreckage, two of whom had no sign of life.
Other state media brought the total number of missing to 57 and said several vehicles were also buried.
Inner Mongolia is a key mining region for coal and other minerals in China. According to critics, this activity has devastated the traditional landscape of mountains, grassy steppe and desert.