West Gold Yili Co. LTD, suffered an gold mine collapse accident during production. A total of 40 people were working underground at the time of the accident. 22 people were brought up safely and 18 people were still trapped. Photo: Baidu

Rescuers are working to reach 18 people trapped underground after a cave-in at a gold mine in Yining county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Local authorities said on Sunday that the complex conditions in the mine have complicated the rescue work.

As of 2 am on Sunday, the rescuers and workers in the mining area had completed the detection of roadway blockage, wind flow and gas conditions. "At present, the location of trapped workers has been determined and ventilation has been ensured," said Lu Wei, security director of Xinjiang Nonferrous Metal Industry.

A gold mine belongs to West Gold Yili Co.in Yining county collapsed at 13:40 am on Saturday, with a total of 40 people working underground at the time of the accident. 22 of them were safely lifted out of the mine and 18 were trapped.

After the accident, the Xinjiang government set up a rescue headquarter to command and organize rescue work. More than 300 professional rescue workers, over 80 rescue vehicles and 467 sets of various emergency rescue equipment were rushed to the scene immediately.

Rescuers have leveled three large drilling platforms overnight on Saturday, connected lighting and power facilities, expanded communication channels, and dispatched 120 tons of diesel fuel, according to media reports.

In addition, the rescue headquarter has organized medical teams to ensure the timely treatment of the rescued and emergency supplies including tents, warm clothes and lighting equipment, which have been urgently dispatched to the scene.

A staff member from the emergency management department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said the list of those trapped has been confirmed, "Most of the trapped workers are from Yining and five of them are from Southwest China's Sichuan Province."

"Rescue work is ongoing and the cause of the accident is still under investigation," said Yu Baojiang, Party secretary and deputy director of the Yili Emergency Management Bureau, who directed the rescue efforts at the scene.

Global Times