In Shandong Zhaoyuan City, a gold mine incident occurred with 7 known deaths, suspected of involving cover-ups.
On the evening of February 9, the Zhaoyuan City Emergency Bureau issued a situation report stating that on February 7 around 8:50 pm, a tank accident occurred in the blind vertical shaft of the Canzhuang Gold Mine in Shandong Zhaoyuan City, resulting in 7 fatalities.
According to reports, in the early morning of February 10, efforts were made to contact the Zhaoyuan City Emergency Bureau and the involved company for details, with officials stating that a response would be provided after further assessment.
As reported by Jiemian News, on the morning of February 10, information obtained from the Zhaoyuan City Emergency Management Bureau indicated that the investigation into this incident, which includes suspected cover-ups, is ongoing.
According to the Tianyancha app, Canzhuang Gold Mine is a member company of Zhaojin Mining Industry Co., Ltd., established in 2009, primarily engaged in non-ferrous metal ore mining and dressing. The mine is located 20 kilometers northwest of Zhaoyuan City and falls under the jurisdiction of Xinzhuang Town, belonging to Zhaoyuan City. The construction scale of the mine area is 750,000 tons per year.
Zhaojin Mining Industry Co., Ltd. was jointly established by Shandong Zhaojin Group Co., Ltd., Shanghai Fosun Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., Shanghai Yu Garden Tourism Shopping Mall (Group) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Guangxin Investment Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Laomiao Gold Co., Ltd., registered on April 16, 2004, and listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 8, 2006.
Public records show that Canzhuang Gold Mine was fined twice by local regulatory authorities in 2025.
According to the Zhaoyuan City government website, on July 17, 2025, Canzhuang Gold Mine was fined 25,000 yuan.
On October 31, 2025, Canzhuang Gold Mine was fined 30,000 yuan.
Reports state that Shandong Wucailong Investment Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Zhaojin Mining Industry, was involved in delayed reporting incidents at the Hushan Gold Mine in Qixia City. On the afternoon of January 10, 2021, an explosion occurred at the mine causing damage to the ladder between the shafts, rendering the cages unable to operate normally. Due to signal system failure, 22 workers were trapped and lost contact underground. Eventually, 11 were rescued, 10 died, and 1 went missing, resulting in a direct economic loss of 68.4733 million yuan. Responsible for significant leadership roles in the delayed reporting of this incident, the then Secretary of the Qixia Municipal Party Committee and the Mayor were dismissed.