At least five killed in open-pit coalmine collapse in north China

Mining company operating in autonomous region of Inner Mongolia has history of multiple safety violations

At least five people have died and 48 are missing after an open-pit coalmine collapsed in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in north China.

One of the walls of mine caved in at about 1pm local time on Wednesday, burying workers in tons of rocks and sand. Another landslide struck five hours later, forcing the rescue operation to halt. The search resumed on Thursday morning. Fire trucks, SUVs, bulldozers and rescue dogs have been mobilised from across the province.