Six university students from China’s Northeastern University died on Wednesday after falling into a flotation cell during a study visit to a copper-molybdenum ore-dressing plant in Inner Mongolia, reported Xinhua citing local authorities. The incident occurred around 10.20 am at a mine in Hulunbuir operated by a company under China National Gold Group Co, Ltd. The students were observing the flotation process when a grid plate suddenly collapsed, plunging them into the tank.Although all six were pulled out, they were later pronounced dead by medical personnel. A teacher accompanying the group was also injured in the incident, reported AFP.Mine safety in China has seen improvements in recent years, along with more transparent reporting of accidents. However, serious incidents remain common in the industry due to weak enforcement of safety protocols.Local authorities, the university, and the mine’s operator are currently managing the aftermath of the accident, according to Xinhua.The tragedy quickly drew national attention. A related hashtag became the top-trending topic on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform, with about 100 million views within an hour of the news breaking.“The safety measures are not at all rigorous. What kind of company is this?” read one of the most-liked comments.
