Rescue teams work on saving workers trapped underground after an explosion at the gold mine under construction in Qixia, Shandong province, China, January 12, 2021. Reuters
Rescue teams were on Tuesday racing to save 22 workers trapped underground for over two days after an explosion at a gold mine under construction in eastern China, as state media criticized a 30-hour delay in reporting the accident.
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Rescue workers were unable to contact the trapped workers because the blast damaged their communication system, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The blast occurred at 2 p.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Sunday at the Hushan mine in Qixia, under the administration of Yantai city in Shandong province. But it was not until 8 p.m. the next day – 30 hours later – that it was reported to Qixia’s emergency department, Xinhua said.
Mining accidents are common in China, the world’s biggest coal producer. On Monday, the National Mine
