The site of the accident
The body of Nguyen Van Nam, 31, was found at 2 pm on October 18. He was among four workers buried after the mine abruptly collapsed while they were working at the waste dump on the afternoon of October 15. The victims were buried under tonnes of sand.
An urgent search for the victims was launched immediately using excavators and other specialised equipment and rescuers found one corpse lying about one metre down the same evening. He was identified as Bui Quang Trinh, 36.
The bodies of Nguyen Van Tung, 30, and Huynh Tan Phuoc, 48, were found on October 17.
The mine, which occupies over 515 hectares, has been operated by a local firm since 2015 as per a permit granted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for a mining period of 23 years.
It was suspended for three months in 2016 after one of its pits collapsed down, pushing a large volume of sand and mud to nearby residential areas and roads.
Binh Thuan authorities have asked the investors of all local mines to strictly comply with mining safety regulations, to avoid similar incidents.
