China: 18 Trapped after Gold Mine Collapse

A collapse in a gold mine in northwest China's Xinjiang region has trapped 18 miners underground, as rescuers are making efforts to reach and extract them.

Forty miners were inside the mine when it collapsed. 22 miners were immediately brought to safety.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported that "a rescue operation is underway to extract the remaining miners" late Sunday.

The cause of the accident is still unknown.

China has one of the world's largest mining industries and is the world's largest coal producer.

However, Chinese mines are very dangerous. Miners die frequently due to poor safety precautions and a lack of oversight.

Despite the increase in miner safety and media coverage of major accidents, many of which were once ignored, fatal accidents still occur.

Last September, 19 miners were found dead after being stranded following a coal mine collapse in the Qinghai region.

In December 2021, two miners died after a coal mine flooded in the northern province of Shanxi. Twenty more were rescued.