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Sylvie Zhuang

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 incident, 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.
The staff began evacuating the rest of the group of students and teachers to safety and also rescued a teacher who was suspended in mid-air, it said.
According to the report, the company’s mine emergency response team arrived at the scene 38 minutes after the students fell into the tank, which occurred at around 10.20am on Wednesday.
The first of the students was pulled from the tank at around noon, while the last was removed at around 12.40pm, it said.
China Media Group said the deceased, aged between 20 and 22, were part of a group of 51 students taking part in a flotation production internship as part of their mineral processing engineering study programme.
It said on-site learning in the flotation workshop during the summer was a mandatory part of the internship, adding that Northeastern University had organised two rounds of visits since signing an agreement with China National Gold Group in 2023.
The state-owned, publicly listed company issued a statement on Thursday to say it had suspended production at its Inner Mongolia subsidiary. Its stock price closed 4.4 per cent lower at the end of the day’s trading.
China Youth Daily said on Thursday that an investigation report obtained from Northeastern University had identified a repaired crack on one side of a welded joint in the steel grille plate above the flotation cell.
The weld had fractured under a concentrated load, causing the entire grille plate to flip and fall off, according to the article which was based on the findings. The investigation report itself has not yet been made public.
According to China Youth Daily, the grille plate was replaced in February, but the company had not tested all the welds. There were also no signs on the platform limiting the number of people permitted to stand on it at one time, it said.
Northeastern University has already initiated its internal accountability procedures and suspended all on-site internships at mines, according to the China Youth Daily report.
In a commentary published on Thursday, Xinhua called for all relevant parties to draw lessons from the incident and strengthen awareness of safety.
There must be no delay in pursuing the truth of the accident, it said, and demanded answers on why the grille collapsed. The commentary also questioned if the plant had fulfilled its responsibilities in routine safety inspections and equipment maintenance.
“Safety can never be overemphasised. As summer study tours and practical learning programmes continue across the country, all organisers must draw lessons from this incident, strengthen their awareness of systemic safety, and ensure that such tragedies never happen again,” Xinhua said.

Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper also published a commentary on Thursday, calling for a serious investigation into the cause of the accident and a clarification of accountability to prevent further tragedies.
The outlet also said that the country’s future engineering talent must be safeguarded.
“China’s engineering education has rapidly advanced, giving rise to the world’s largest pool of engineering talent – a critical force behind the country’s high-quality development,” it said.
“For engineering students, visiting factories and construction sites to observe and practice is a key part of their education. Their safety must be fully ensured.”
The tragedy gained wide public attention, becoming one of the most searched topics on Chinese social media. As of Friday, posts about the incident and the fate of the students had reached 70 million.
Some commenters expressed their anger, including one who wrote, “all that so-called workplace safety is just for show. The best kind of safety would be having the boss walk up there themselves every day – but that kind of scenario only exists in dreams.”
There have also been many questions on social media platforms about how the flotation tank could have caused the fatalities and when the investigation results will be announced.
Among the comments were calls for stricter safety measures, and questions about why none of the students were wearing a safety rope.
According to The Paper on Thursday, the remains were sent to a funeral home on Wednesday afternoon where staff gave an assurance that they would be properly and thoroughly attended to.


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A protective panel over an industrial flotation tank is believed to have given way moments before six engineering students fell to their deaths in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Photo: Handout

A grating panel is reported to have given way, sending the students plunging into the tank. Photo: Handout

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The tank is used to process ore. Photo: Handout

A grating panel reportedly gave way, sending the students plunging into the tank. Photo: Handout

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Details emerge of the hours-long rescue effort while state media and the online public demand a full investigation and accountability


Details emerge of the hours-long rescue effort while state media and the online public demand a full investigation and accountability.


Safety in China

Northeastern University

China National Gold Group

Questions grow as China mourns 6 engineering students lost in mine accident

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Details emerge of the hours-long rescue effort while state media and the online public demand a full investigation and accountability

Details emerge of the hours-long rescue effort while state media and the online public demand a full investigation and accountability