BEIJING (Reuters) -Two people were killed and more than 50 were trapped in a large-scale coal mine collapse in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region, state media reported on Wednesday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered search and rescue efforts at the site and Premier Li Keqiang demanded a rapid investigation into the cause of the accident.
“We must make every possible effort to rescue the missing persons and treat the injured,” Xi said.
As of 7 p.m. (1100 GMT), six wounded have been rescued, the National Health Commission said, adding that it dispatched 15 ambulances and 45 medical staff to the site.
The collapse occurred at an open-pit mine located in the Alxa League and operated by Xinjing Coal Mining Co.
Inner Mongolia is among the country’s top coal producers, and like other regions in China has been producing at a heightened rate over the past year or so under a government call to boost local supply and stabilise prices.
(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Jason Neely and Shounak Dasgupta)
