7 killed in illegal mining operation after rain triggers flooding in abandoned China mine
Seven people drowned while working in an illegal mining operation inside an abandoned mine outside China’s southwestern city of Chongqing after rainfall caused the mine to flood, police said Monday.
Police in Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County said they recovered the bodies from the closed and abandoned mine near the border with neighboring Xiushan County, according to a statement posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
Authorities discovered the illegal mining operation after receiving reports on Saturday that people were missing at the mine. Police detained 21 people in connection with the incident.
A preliminary investigation found that the seven people drowned after water levels inside the mine rose suddenly following rainfall, police said. The investigation is continuing.
Police did not reveal which mineral was being extracted at the site.
In July, a rain-triggered landslide killed 51 people and left 10 others missing in Pengshui county, which neighbors Youyang. (with inputs from PTI)
