On July 15, a poisoning accident occurred at the Luojiahe Copper Mine of Wulong Industrial Co., Ltd. in Yuánqū County, Yuncheng, Shanxi, resulting in the death of 3 people. Interestingly, just one month prior, the company had conducted an emergency drill.
The official WeChat account of the State Administration of Mine Safety of the People’s Republic of China released the above information on July 16. It was mentioned in the announcement that underground blasting can easily produce a large amount of toxic gases. If the working space in the mine is small and ventilation is insufficient, combined with workers’ violations, it can easily lead to poisoning from fumes. Key measures to prevent poisoning and asphyxiation accidents include improving the underground mine ventilation system, providing self-rescue devices and toxic and hazardous gas detection equipment, as well as strengthening ventilation and emergency management.
It’s worth noting that on June 13, just one month ago, the company had carried out an “emergency drill.” According to the official WeChat account of the Yuncheng City Emergency Management Bureau, on that day, under the guidance of the Mine Management Commission and Supervision Officer of Yuánqū County Emergency Management Bureau, the Luojiahe Copper Mine conducted an emergency drill for preventing fume poisoning and suffocation accidents in the mine and flood prevention in the tailings storage facility. The drill involved over 50 personnel from various departments of the mine, including the production department, selection plant, engineering department, power supply section, safety and environmental protection department, and security department, mobilizing a total of three emergency response vehicles and one engineering vehicle.
Public records show that the Luojiahe Copper Mine of Wulong Industrial Co., Ltd. in Yuánqū County was founded on September 12, 2001, with its registered location in Shuichuyao Village, Puzhang Township, Yuánqū County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province. Its business scope includes the extraction and flotation of copper ore.
Prior to this incident, the company had previously been fined 350,000 yuan for existing significant safety hazards. One instance was on April 23, 2024, when the company was fined 290,000 yuan by the Yuánqū County Emergency Management Bureau for major safety hazards due to inconsistencies between the current drawings and the actual circumstances. Similarly, on December 25, 2023, the company was fined 60,000 yuan for abnormalities in the operation of the mine safety monitoring and personnel positioning systems, with delays in repairs, leading to significant safety hazards.
Netizens expressed their frustration, with comments such as, “The drill conducted a month ago couldn’t save the three lives lost a month later.” and “This is another man-made accident!” Some questioned whether the drills were merely for show, as the actual operations didn’t adhere to regulations.
Others expressed opinions like, “They were just rushing the work.” and “Can fines really solve the problem?” suggesting that the money from penalties should be used to enhance safety measures. One netizen highlighted the great potential risks of operating a mine for those inexperienced in the field.