IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Henan

Three dead in illegal gold mine

Three people were confirmed dead and six others were ill from poisoning in an illegal gold mining operation in Songxian county, local authorities said on Tuesday. The county government sent rescuers to a deserted mine on Saturday after receiving tips about the mining operation. According to police, the miners are local farmers who used chemicals containing sodium cyanide to try to recover gold from the deserted mine. They were poisoned by the gas emitted from the toxic chemical.