Five persons died and one other was injured when a collapse occurred during illegal mining activities in Huize County of China's Yunnan Province on Sunday, officials said. The incident took place at around 4:30 a.m. in Baiwu village of Nagu Town in Huize County, according to local authorities.
Emergency response, public security, firefighting, health and natural resources departments from the city of Qujing and Huize County launched rescue operations, pulling out all six trapped individuals and taking them to the hospital for treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.
Five of the rescued people succumbed to their injuries. The other survivor is now in stable condition and out of life-threatening danger. An investigation into the cause of the collapse is underway. Earlier in May, a coal mine accident in north China's Shanxi Province left 82 dead.
A gas explosion hit the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County at 7:29 p.m. on May 22, when more than 200 people were down the shaft, according to the county's emergency management bureau. A total of 123 people received treatment at hospitals, including two who were in critical condition and two in serious condition, while 119 others sustained minor injuries.
Multiple rescue teams took turns going down the mining shaft. The investigation team said it will thoroughly ascertain the cause of the accident, clarify the responsibilities of local authorities, industry regulators and the enterprise involved, and mete out strict penalties in accordance with laws and regulations.
Deadly accidents are common in China's coal mining industry, due to which safety standards have been tightened in recent years, but accidents still occur. Earlier in 2025, three people were trapped following a coal mine accident in Shaanxi Province.
The accident occurred when part of an underground tunnel collapsed in Zhenping County, in the city of Ankang. Eight workers were carrying out rectification work at the site when the collapse happened, with five of them managing to escape safely.