Gaby Pena | Writer
February 23, 2023
Tragedy struck in Inner Mongolia when an open mine pit collapsed on Wednesday. Reports say at least five people have died, dozens are trapped, six are injured, and 48 are still missing.
Inner Mongolia Xinjiang Coal Industry runs the mine. This company was in hot waters last year after it faced multiple fines for violating safety regulations. Some of these violations include inadequately training their safety overseers and not providing safe, secure routes to access the mines.
“Hopefully, the missing people are found before it’s too late. It’s so unfair that the workers suffer due to the companies’ incompetence,” reflects senior Alyssa Mormille.
Because China is heavily reliant on coal for power generation, they have been trying to enforce stricter safety regulations to reduce the number of accidents in these mines. However, over the past few months, numerous industrial accidents have resulted from company corruption and a lack of employee safety training. For instance, a fire broke out at a welding company in Henan, resulting in the deaths of 38 people.
“Stricter safety laws need to be enforced because if not, people will keep losing their lives and getting injured for entirely preventable reasons,” says junior Nicole Rod.
Currently, around 300 rescue workers are searching for the people who are missing, buried under rubble.
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