The owner of a gypsum mine in China’s eastern Shandong province has killed himself, as rescuers try to reach 17 miners who have been trapped for two days, state media report.
One person died and four miners escaped when the mine collapsed on Friday.
Since then, rescue workers have managed to pull a number of miners to safety, BBC reported.
China has a long history of industrial accidents. The latest incident comes days after a deadly landslide caused by construction waste in southern China.
Ma Congbo, the chairman of Yurong Company which owns the mine, drowned himself by jumping into a mine well early on Sunday, China’s Xinhua news agency reports.
Rescuers have drilled a hole to access some of the trapped workers and are trying to transfer food and water, officials say. More than 700 emergency officials are involved in rescue efforts, according to Linyi Mayor Zhang Shuping. Xinhua reports that seven people have been rescued so far.
The latest incident comes a week after a landslide in the southern city of Shenzhen killed one person and left 75 people missing, presumed dead.
Authorities say the landslide was caused when a huge manmade mound of earth and construction debris lost stability and collapsed.
According to AP, 931 people were killed in mine accidents in China last year. However, that is a big fall from 2002 when 7,000 miners were killed at work.
