Bodies of Four Miners Found After Sichuan Coal Mine Tunnel Collapse
On May 22, a series of landslides triggered by heavy rainfall occurred in Guizhou Province, southwestern China, resulting in 21 people being buried.
According to Chinese state media outlets such as Shinhwa Yonhap News and China Central Television (CCTV), two people were buried in Changshi Town, Dafang County, Guizhou Province in the early morning hours of the day, and 19 people from eight households were buried in Guowa Township, Dafang County, bringing the total number of people currently buried to 21.
As of 1:00 p.m. local time on the same day, Chinese authorities raised the emergency response level for geological disasters to "Level 2."
Authorities have dispatched rescue personnel, including military forces and geological experts, to the site. However, it has been reported that the rugged terrain and steep slopes in the area are making rescue operations difficult.
According to meteorological authorities, the Dafang County area received up to 200 mm of torrential rain from the evening of May 21 until the morning of May 22. Major foreign media outlets reported that last week, seven people died and several others went missing due to heavy rains in Guangdong Province and Guangxi in southern China. There have been observations that, due to the effects of climate change, China is experiencing longer and more intense heatwaves, as well as more frequent and unpredictable heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, all four miners who had been trapped in the Changshier coal mine in Wanyuan City, Sichuan Province, were found dead at around 11:30 p.m. the previous day, four days after the accident. The miners had been buried when a tunnel collapsed at around 11:00 a.m. on May 17, and the search took a considerable amount of time due to the high risk of secondary accidents at the site. The owner of the coal mine is currently in police custody.
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