Society

Cave-in leaves 6 missing in East China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-20 16:09

FUZHOU, Fujian - More than 300 people have joined the search for six workers missing after a cave-in at a lime powder plant in a karst area of East China's Fujian province, local authorities said Wednesday.

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The accident occurred at about 11:30 am Tuesday at the plant near a village in Xinluo district, Longyan city, a city government spokesman said.

The cave-in area was about 50 meters long, 45 meters wide and 25 meters deep, the spokesman said.

Geological experts believed the cave-in happened naturally as a result of the long-term influence of surface and underground water, he said.

But villagers and workers said the plant's excavation of limestone had damaged the geological structure, triggering the cave-in.

Local authorities would further investigate the cause of the accident, a spokesman of the Xinluo district government said.