The official investigation report on a major safety incident at a plant belonging to the China National Gold Group in China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region was released on Saturday, according to the official website of the region's emergency management department.
The incident, which occurred on July 23 at a plant in Hulunbuir, resulted in six deaths and one injury.
According to the investigation report, 55 students and teachers from the Northeastern University in Shenyang, Liaoning province, were observing flotation processes in the plant as part of their field study program. On 10:24 am, seven individuals — one teacher and six students — fell into the flotation tank and drowned in the slurry, after the steel grating they were standing on collapsed.
The direct cause was identified as an undersized grating plate improperly welded to support beams. Severe corrosion in the humid environment, combined with the group gathering off the safe walkway, caused the overloaded weld to fail. The six individuals died of asphyxiation after they were drowned, according to the report, which ruled out poisoning, burns, or mechanical injury as factors.
The investigation found systemic failures: chaotic on-site safety management, flawed safety protocols, superficial hazard inspections, and irregular management during the plant's construction. The report also pointed to the university staff for a lack of risk awareness and inadequate safety planning for the field study program, alongside insufficient safety supervision at the plant. Other noted reasons included illegal project contracting and subcontracting and failure by regulators to effectively ensure corporate safety compliance.
Following the accident, the government of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region launched an upgraded investigation, with experts involved in the investigating team. The regional commission for discipline inspection simultaneously launched an accountability investigation.
The investigation report suggested accountability for 42 individuals. Among them, four employees from China Gold Inner Mongolia Mining Company suspected of criminal offenses have been transferred to judicial authorities, and public security organs have currently imposed criminal compulsory measures on them. The former head of the Emergency Management Bureau of New Barag Right Banner has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public office, with his suspected criminal issues transferred to judicial authorities for review and prosecution.
Furthermore, China Gold Inner Mongolia Mining Company has been subjected to administrative fines. The China Gold Group, the Northeastern University, the government of New Barag Right Banner, the Emergency Management Bureau, and the Natural Resources Bureau of Hulunbuir were ordered to submit written self-criticisms to their respective superior departments.
The report emphasizes that regulatory departments must adhere to the requirement that "those in charge of an industry, business, or production and operation must be responsible for safety", strictly fulfill safety supervision responsibilities, and carry out special rectification campaigns for mining safety. Enterprises must deeply learn from the accident's lessons, conduct thorough reviews, continuously consolidate primary responsibility for production safety, and strengthen safety management. Construction projects for concentrator plants in metal and non-metal mines must improve construction and operational standards. Simultaneously, relevant production and operation units and universities should deepen field study safety management and improve emergency preparedness plans to effectively guarantee safety.
