Chinese mine boss drowns himself after deadly collapse


BEIJING (AP) — The owner of a Chinese gypsum mine drowned Sunday after jumping into a well in an apparent suicide during rescue efforts for 17 workers still trapped two days after the mine collapsed and killed one person, state media said.

Quoting a morning briefing by the rescue command center, state media said Ma Congbo, president of Yurong Commerce and Trade Ltd. Co., was assisting with rescue efforts on Sunday morning when he jumped into a mine well and drowned.

Since the mine collapse on Friday, rescuers have pulled 11 workers to safety and recovered one body. Another 17 miners are yet to be found.

Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral that is widely used in construction.

Chinese authorities have typically meted out harsh punishments, including jail sentences, to company management and local work safety officials following major work safety disasters. Still, lack of regulatory oversight prevails, and cost-conscious management fails to pay enough heed to work safety.

The mine collapse came just days after a landslide from a man-made pileup of construction waste in the southern city of Shenzhen killed one person and left another 75 missing and presumed dead.

Authorities have ruled that the landslide was not a geological disaster but a work safety incident, adding to China's list of major man-made disasters in recent years.

In a rare move, Shenzhen's top officials, including its party chief and mayor, bowed deeply at a press conference as an apology.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-12-27

In Britain he would never have done the decent thing,would have just retired on a massive pension,before being rehired by another company

It's a pity that we can not rely on the state version of events, EVER.

"Chinese authorities have typically meted out harsh punishments, including jail sentences, to company management and local work safety officials following major work safety disasters"

plus:

" was assisting with rescue efforts on Sunday morning when he jumped into a mine well and drowned."

So, he just topped himself during rescue efforts, before any blame was apportioned?

No no it was a underground assassination attempt that went wrong.

he was playing with minors I heard hehe.

Oh they bowed deeply to apologize for the deaths of 75 workers? How nice.

Is that the same as sorry 3 times in Thailand?