Two dead, five missing in landslide
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Xinhua, November 27, 2011
Two miners were found dead by Sunday afternoon in an illegal mining-triggered landslide in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, while hundreds of rescuers are racing against the time in search of the missing five others.
The landslide triggered by illegal mining activities for rare earth metals took place at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday near a village in Cangwu County, leaving seven miners buried, the county government said.
Rescuers retrieved two dead bodies from the debris Sunday morning, Huang Haiping, a Cangwu official, said. Huang added that local police arrested three people who had been involved in the illegal mining.
More than 600 rescuers with the help of 10 excavators were still searching for the five missing miners, but the big size of the landslide, estimated at 50,000 cubic meters, and further occasional small landslides complicated the rescue efforts, the official said.
Rare earth metals are vital ingredients for manufacturing an array of sophisticated products, including cell phones, wind turbines, electric car batteries and even missiles.
China now produces more than 90 percent of the world's rare earth metals but its rare earth reserves only account for about one third of the global total.
The country has suspended issuance of new licenses for rare earth prospecting and mining, imposed production caps and export quotas, and announced tougher environmental standards for rare earth production in order to curb environmental damage and protect the resources.
Despite the government control, illegal production remains active for fat profits from surging rare earth prices.
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