YUNNAN, CHINA / MENA Newswire / — Five people died and one person was injured after a collapse during illegal mining activity in Huize County, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, local authorities said. The incident occurred early Sunday in Baiwu Village, Nagu Town, a rural area under Huize County. Officials said the collapse happened at about 4:30 a.m., trapping six people at the site before emergency teams arrived and began rescue operations.
The collapse prompted a multiagency response involving emergency response, public security, firefighting, health and natural resources departments from Qujing city and Huize County. Rescuers recovered all six trapped people and transported them to hospital for treatment. Five later died from their injuries despite medical efforts, while the injured survivor was reported to be in stable condition and out of life threatening danger after receiving medical care.
Authorities identified the activity as illegal mining but did not disclose the type of mine involved, the ownership of the site or the identities of those trapped. The available official information also did not say whether any arrests had been made. The focus of the public statement remained on the rescue response, hospital treatment and the opening of an investigation into the cause of the collapse.
Rescue teams recover all six trapped people
The accident adds to continuing safety concerns surrounding unauthorized mining activity in China, where local and national regulators have repeatedly targeted unlicensed extraction, unsafe shafts and concealed operations. Illegal mining sites can present major hazards when operators work without approved designs, ventilation systems, structural controls or emergency safeguards. In this case, officials did not provide details on the depth of the site, the material being mined or the condition of the collapsed area.
Huize County is part of Qujing, a prefecture level city in northeastern Yunnan, a province known for varied terrain and mineral resources. Baiwu Village, where the collapse occurred, is within Nagu Town. Local authorities said response teams moved quickly after receiving reports from the scene, bringing out the six trapped people and sending them for emergency treatment. The statement did not provide a timeline for when each person was recovered.
Investigation into cause remains underway
Officials said an investigation into the cause of the collapse is underway, with aftermath management also being handled by local authorities. The public account did not identify a company or registered mining operator linked to the site. It also did not state whether the illegal activity had been previously detected by regulators or whether the site had been subject to earlier enforcement action before Sunday’s incident.
The deaths in Yunnan came days after another major mining disaster in northern China, where a coal mine explosion in Shanxi Province killed dozens of people and drew scrutiny of safety violations at that operation. Authorities have not linked the two incidents. In Huize County, the confirmed facts remain limited to the collapse during illegal mining activity, the rescue of six trapped people, five deaths, one injury and an active investigation.