<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">According to state media, China has confirmed that 53 people were killed when a coal mine partly collapsed in the northern Inner Mongolia region in February.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Dozens of people had been missing after a 180-metre-high (590-foot) slope&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">gave way at the open-pit mine in the remote Alxa League, burying people and&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">vehicles below.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rescuers initially pulled six survivors and six dead from the debris, but</div><div style="text-align: justify;">authorities did not provide further updates for months.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">State broadcaster CCTV said Wednesday that 47 people classified as missing&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">after the incident "had been confirmed to have no vital signs", citing the&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">regional emergency bureau.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"The search and rescue work has now finished," CCTV said, adding that "the&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">large-scale collapse on February 22... killed 53 people".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a sign of the incident's severity, Chinese President Xi Jinping at the</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">time ordered authorities to "do everything possible to search for and rescue&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">the missing people... and protect the security of people's lives and property&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">as well as overall social stability".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Authorities deployed hundreds of personnel and over 100 pieces of equipment&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">as part of the rescue operation, according to local government statements.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Alxa League is a sparsely populated area whose economy runs largely on mining&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">and other extractive industries.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Mine safety in China has improved in recent decades, as has media coverage of&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">major incidents, many of which were once overlooked.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, accidents still occur frequently in an industry where safety</div><div style="text-align: justify;">protocols are often lax, especially at the most rudimentary sites. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>