Mine accident reporting delay unforgivable

In mine rescue operations, every second counts. Any delay in reporting a mine accident might be the difference between life and death for any trapped workers.

That is why the government has made it compulsory for operators to report immediately to the safety authorities any accident that occurs, to ensure rescue operations can commence as soon as possible.

Yet despite this, and the laws and rules to hold those who dare do otherwise responsible, officials at a gold mine under construction in Qixia, Shandong province－possibly in a vain attempt at a cover-up－still chose to delay reporting an explosion to the emergency management authorities.