BEIJING: Six students from Northeastern University in China drowned on Wednesday (Jul 23) after falling into a flotation tank while visiting a mine in the Inner Mongolia region, state media reported.
The students were observing the flotation process when the grid plate they were standing on collapsed, plunging them into the tank, according to state news agency Xinhua.
All six were pulled from the tank but were later pronounced dead by medical personnel. A teacher accompanying the group was also injured in the incident, which occurred in the morning.
The mine is operated by China Gold Group Co, and local authorities, the university, and the company are handling follow-up matters, Xinhua said.
Mine safety has improved in China over the past few decades, but fatal accidents still occur, often due to weak enforcement of safety regulations.
The incident sparked widespread attention on Chinese social media. A related hashtag became the top trending topic on Weibo, with more than 100 million views within an hour of the news breaking.
“The safety measures are not at all rigorous. What kind of company is this?” read one of the most-liked comments.
Source: CNA
