Six Chinese university students drown on mine field trip in Inner Mongolia
One teacher was also injured in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday morning at China National Gold Group's Wunugetushan copper-molybdenum mine in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, it said.
The students, from Northeastern University in Liaoning province, drowned after a grating panel gave way and they fell into a flotation tank. They were pulled from the tank in the mine's processing plant, but could not be revived, according to Xinhua.
The report did not give further details about the victims or the incident.
State broadcaster CCTV said the regional government would launch an investigation into the incident.
According to the official Jimu News in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the victims were in their third year and majoring in mineral processing engineering.
The report quoted an unnamed student who had previously visited the plant as saying the flotation tank was more than 10 metres (33 feet) tall and filled with slurry – 'similar to a mudslide'.
Flotation tanks separate minerals from mined ore, with the targeted minerals attaching to bubbles that float to the surface. The structure is usually made of metal, plastic or wood and features a grating panel.
'There are usually only 20 to 30 employees in the flotation area, but when students and teachers come to visit, the number often exceeds that of the staff present,' the student was quoted as saying.
In a statement on Thursday, China National Gold Group confirmed the fatalities, offering condolences for the victims and apologies to the public.
The company is the only central state-owned firm in China's gold industry, and was the first Chinese board member of the World Gold Council, according to the company.
The company owns 48 mines and six smelters in China and abroad, including in Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
Quoting a company staff member, state-run China News Weekly reported that operations had stopped at the plant for an investigation.
It said the deceased students were from the university's school of resources and civil engineering.
According to a post on its social media account on February 25, the Wunugetushan mine had 'successfully completed' replacement of the grating panels.
The plant also said in an online post on July 11 that it had just held a safety production meeting reviewing the first half of the year. The company had 'consistently insisted on a balanced approach to coordinate development and safety' and 'safe production was always the top priority', it said.
A 2021 article published on the company's social media account said its Inner Mongolia plant had won the 'recognition and affirmation' of Northeastern University as an 'Excellent Practical Education Base' for students to gain industry exposure.
It said 50 mining engineering students from the university visited the company's plant every July to 'put their theoretical knowledge into practice' via the on-site teaching programme.
Calls to various departments at the university went unanswered. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Traditional ethnic crafts find new life via modern twists
An exhibitor (R) makes cultural and creative products with visitors during the 9th Inner Mongolia Cultural Industry Expo in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Zhipeng) HOHHOT (July 28): Located on the main street of China's only Russian ethnic township, Enhe, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Wang Xiufen's cafe exudes a warm, woody aroma. The scent of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the earthy smell of wood, drifting from a weathered log cabin — a traditional Russian-style house. Step inside, and the eye is drawn to vibrant textiles: handwoven tapestries, colorful crocheted wall hangings, and intricate woolen ornaments, all crafted by Wang herself. For Wang, an inheritor of Russian ethnic textile craftsmanship, this cafe is more than a business. It's a window for showcasing her ethnic traditions. 'Weaving was once passed down through generations in my family, but young people weren't interested,' Wang said. 'Now, they come for coffee, snap photos of these decorations, which are perfect for sharing on social media, and suddenly, they want to know more and even learn.' Across the diverse ethnic communities in Inner Mongolia, many traditional craft inheritors are wrapping their cherished culture in new contexts to make heritage feel not like a relic, but a living, breathing part of the present. A short walk away in Enhe, another custodian of tradition is reimagining her craft. Fu Yanmei has spent over 20 years making lieba, a Chinese transliteration of the Russian word for bread, and her bakery, once a quiet local staple, now buzzes with activity. Years ago, she launched a DIY lieba program, inviting visitors to shape the dough themselves. But Fu doesn't just let them bake — she tells them about lieba's history and how it's made with natural sourdough, no additives. Young tourists, she noted, make up most of the participants. 'Tasting their own baked lieba is a joy they remember.' Further east, in Oroqen Autonomous Banner near the Greater Khingan Mountains, the Oroqen people, one of China's smallest ethnic groups, are also breathing new life into their heritage. In the old days, they crafted canoes, cradles, baskets, and other tools and vessels from birch bark, prized for its waterproof and durable qualities. Today, at the Oroqen intangible cultural heritage museum, Meng Shuling, a master of birch bark craftsmanship, showcases these traditional items and her modern reinventions. Her workshop showcases delicate birch bark earrings, glossy fridge magnets, and tiny cradle-shaped pendants, all pieces that marry the material's natural texture with contemporary tastes. 'The old ways can't stay locked in the past,' Meng said, running a finger over a birch bark jewelry box. Beyond these grassroots efforts, institutional support is also fueling the revival of traditional crafts. Since 2023, Inner Mongolia's institute of culture and tourism development, in collaboration with several universities, has launched a program to revitalize intangible cultural heritage by harnessing the creativity of the younger generation. This initiative encourages students to draw inspiration from intangible heritage elements to create digital illustrations, IP characters, and fashion designs. To date, it has yielded more than 300 pieces of intangible heritage-themed cultural and creative design drafts and handicrafts. 'Young people want things they can wear, display and cherish daily. That's how we keep the skill alive,' Meng said. – Xinhua China ethnic handicraft traditional crafts
The Star
18 hours ago
- The Star
Heart And Soul: A daughter honours her late mum and dad for Parents Day today
Do you have any real-life, heart-warming stories to share with readers? We'd love to hear from you. Please keep your story within 900 words. Photos are optional and should be in JPEG format (file size about 1MB, with caption and photo credit). There is no payment for stories, and we reserve the right to edit all submissions. Email your story to: heartandsoul@ with the subject "Heart and Soul". In Malaysia, Parents Day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July, which falls on July 27 this year. My late parents – my father, Chan Kok Yiam, and my mother, Tiew Cho – were a humble, hardworking couple, grounded in simplicity and perseverance. They earned a living by selling cut fruits by the roadside along Jalan Melayu, or Back Street, in Klang. Today, it is known as Jalan Stesen Satu. In the early 60s and 70s, Jalan Melayu was famous for its food offerings. Every morning, the place was full of vibrancy and bustled with activity. Stalls and shops sold fragrant chicken rice balls, Hainanese curry rice, noodles, cendol, Chinese medicine, cloth, shoes, jewellery, clocks, and watches. In the back alleys and along the sidewalks, there were barbers, cobblers and clog sellers. There was a famous Chinese sinseh (traditional doctor) whom people from near and far would wait one to two hours just to consult. My mum used to help relatives by getting them a queue number to save time. The first bak kut teh shop originated from this street. It was along this very street that my parents would push their fruit cart from Rembau Street (now known as Jalan Tengku Kelana), where we lived, to sell fruits, starfruit drink, pickled fruits, and cigarettes like Three Five, Rothmans, Camel, and Lucky Strike. My father used to send me to kindergarten (now known as the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes) and later to Convent School (now SRK Convent and SMK Convent Klang) on his old bicycle. The writer's father, Chan (pic), valued education and was proud when she gained admission to Universiti Malaya. He understood the importance of a good education. Being uneducated himself, he would point to the red marks in my school report book and ask me what subjects they were. I would lie and say they were "unimportant" subjects like Physical Education, Art or Moral Studies. The truth came out when he attended the school's Open Day. Mrs P Jambunathan, my class teacher, told him that I always failed Mathematics and Bahasa Melayu. After that, my dad sent me for tuition classes for those subjects. In those days, it was costly, as he only earned a few ringgit a day. He used to buy me The New Straits Times, and later The Star newspaper, so I could improve my English. I could feel how proud he was when I finally got a place to study at Universiti Malaya. My mum helped my dad at the fruit stall. Every day was a 8am to 9pm stretch of hard work, rain or shine. She still had to come home to cook and clean for the whole family in between. My three brothers and I were looked after by relatives who stayed in the same row of shophouses. Even during Chinese New Year or other special occasions, it was work as usual for my parents. Back then, I couldn't understand why they never took a day off. Only when I grew older did I realise that a day of rest meant a day without income. The writer (second from right) with her mother, Tiew Cho (first from left), and her three young daughters. — Photos: CHAN YEE AI My mum even tried to earn some extra money. She would sew press-stud buttons or hooks on new saree blouses, which she got from Indian tailors. These tailors were always stationed outside the cloth shops along Jalan Melayu with their sewing machines, waiting for customers. All those years of hard work took a toll on her health. She developed high blood pressure and diabetes. All these sacrifices my parents made for me and my siblings may be similar to what other parents did for their children. But what made my parents truly special is that they were my adoptive parents. I was adopted from a relative when I was just two to three months old. My adoptive parents never hesitated to spend money on me so I could have a better life than they did. Love never discriminates. Though they have both passed on, I am forever grateful to them and deeply indebted. Happy Parents Day to all parents.
The Star
18 hours ago
- The Star
Bodies of all victims recovered in boat capsizing incident in Vietnam
Forces approach the shipwreck area to conduct rescue operation. - Photo: VNA/VNS HANOI: (Bernama-Xinhua) Vietnamese authorities confirmed on Sunday (July 27) that all 39 bodies from the recent tourist boat capsizing in northern Quang Ninh province have been recovered, according to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), reported Xinhua. The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 19, when the boat capsized during a thunderstorm, with 46 passengers and three crew members on board. During the week-long search and rescue operation, 28 search teams were deployed, which managed to rescue 10 people and recover the bodies of 39 victims, stated the VNA report. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the incident and are providing support to the victims' families, the report added. - Bernama-Xinhua
