Owner of collapsed illegal gold mine in Hoa Binh arrested

At about 2am on November 4, the mouth of Cot Co cave in Long hamlet of Thanh Nong commune, Lac Thuy district, collapsed and trapped two miners inside. They remain unaccounted for at present.

As the cave’s ground is lower than the surrounding area, in addition to the large amount of collapsed soil, mud, and rocks, rescuers have not been able to access and locate the victims as of yet.

Vice Chairman of the Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Chuong said at a press conference on November 5 that all forces and equipment have been mobilised to search for the missing people.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Lac Thuy district People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem said that local authorities had already previously found that Bach Xuan Hung had been illegally mining gold. They had fined him for this violation, but he intentionally relapsed into this activity.

In early October, the administration of Thanh Nong commune began removing tents and equipment at the mining site, however, the work was hampered by a landslide on a nearby road. Taking advantage of this period, Hung resumed ordering gold mining activities at night.

Presenting further details, Deputy Director of the Hoa Binh Department of Public Security Col. Nguyen Thanh said that miners working illegally under Hung’s direction might have buried some equipment to hide the evidence of their violation. Police are considering criminal proceedings in this case.