Calls have been growing in Chinese state media and from the public for stricter safety measures and a thorough investigation into the deaths of six university students who fell into an industrial flotation tank on Wednesday.
The students, from Northeastern University in Liaoning province, were on a field trip to the China National Gold Group’s Wunugetushan copper-molybdenum mine in Inner Mongolia when the incident happened. A teacher was also injured.
According to state news agency Xinhua, the government of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region has assembled an accident investigation team to determine the cause, clarify the nature of the incident, and propose corrective measures.
The team had arrived at the accident site and started investigating, Xinhua said on Friday.
Meanwhile, various media outlets in China have been reporting new details of the accident, which is believed to have occurred when a grating panel gave way, pitching the group into the slurry-filled tank.
State-owned China Media Group reported on Thursday that on-site staff shut down the operation immediately when they heard students crying out that people had fallen into the flotation tank.
