Chinese Mine Owner Drowns Himself After Deadly Disaster

The owner of a Chinese gypsum mine committed suicide Sunday, while rescue efforts for 17 trapped workers, imprisoned for two days in a collapsed mine, were still underway, according to reports.

Ma Congbo, the president of Yurong Commerce and Trade Ltd. Co., allegedly jumped into a mine well and drowned Sunday morning. He was assisting in the rescue efforts up until his death, according to a morning  briefing by the rescue and command center.

Since the mine collapsed Friday, search and rescue efforts have saved 11 workers and retrieved one body. A total of 17 miners are still missing in the workplace disaster, which occurred in Pingyi County’s Linyi city, Shandong Province.

While the motives for Ma’s suicide are not immediately clear, in the wake of a disaster Chinese authorities have been known to serve tough penalties to employers that demonstrate negligence, according to BBC’s Stephen Evans in Beijing.

At publication time, rescuers had drilled a hole to access a number of the trapped miners and are attempting to transfer food and water to them. Over 700 emergency officials are participating in the rescue efforts, according to Linyi Mayor Zhang Shuping.

The tragic mine collapse comes just days after a devastating man-made landslide in Shenzhen killed one person and left close to 100 people missing amongst the rubble. 

[Cover image via BBC]