Tin mine blamed for dam collapse
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Local authorities have begun an investigation into a local mine company after a dam at the mine collapsed, leaving dozens killed or missing in the floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Fanapi.
"The investigation is under way. But one thing for sure is that the company, to some degree, should be held responsible for the disaster," Tang Hao, secretary-general of the Guangdong provincial government, said at a press conference on Sunday.
A dam at the Xinyi Yinyan Tin Mine, owned by Fujian-based Zijin Mining Group, in Maoming city of Guangdong, collapsed on Tuesday after being hit by a landslide, leaving 28 people killed or missing, sources with the Guangdong provincial government said.
A special team, headed by Zhu Mingguo, deputy Party chief of Guangdong province, arrived at the dam on Thursday to conduct the investigation after many local villagers reported illegal practices of the Xinyi mine to the provincial government following the landslide.
An initial investigation showed that the Xinyi mine destroyed vegetation along the upper reaches of a local river during its operation in the past years.
