BEIJING (Reuters) -Six university students drowned while on a field visit to a mine owned by Shanghai-listed Zhongjin Gold Corp in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday.
The tragedy occurred when the students from Northeastern University in Shenyang fell into a flotation cell at the copper molybdenum mine after the collapse of protective grates, Zhongjin Gold, a subsidiary of state-owned China National Gold Group Co, said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday. A teacher was also hurt.
The company activated an emergency plan and reported the incident to the relevant departments of the local government, it added.
Shares of Zhongjin Gold were down more than 5% in morning trading in Shanghai following the news.
The mine has halted production, 21st Century Business Herald reported on Thursday.
Such visits have been organised for years and the incident was unexpected, said a teacher from Northeastern University, according to a social media account of Henan radio and television.
The university has sent staff to the site to handle the incident, the teacher said.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
