An AFP report quoted local Chinese authorities as saying Monday evening that 22 miners have been lost for nearly 48 hours after an explosion at a gold mine in Qixia, Shandong province, on Sunday, Jan. 10, trapped underground.
The explosion occurred at 2 p.m. Sunday at a gold mine under construction in Qixia, Yantai, Shandong province, severely damaging ladders leading to the bottom of the mine shaft as well as communication cables, according to the local government on its Weibo account.
Rescuers have not heard from any trapped miners, according to a news bulletin that aired Monday evening.
The news report did not specify the depth of the mine at which the miners may have been located.
The mine is owned by the local Shandong Wucailong Investment Company. China is the world’s largest gold producer, accounting for 11 percent of global gold production in 2019, according to the World Gold Council (WGC).
China had more than 3,000 gold mines in 2016, according to a study by the National Geological Survey of China.
Accidents in Chinese mines are generally frequent due to a poor safety record and little enforcement of regulations, with a coal mine accident in Chongqing killing 23 miners last December, the report said.
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