Two people have been killed and more than 50 are trapped in a large-scale coal mine collapse in northern China's Inner Mongolia region, state media report.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered rescue and search efforts at the site and Premier Li Keqiang demanded a rapid investigation into the cause of the accident.
The collapse occurred at an open-pit mine located in the Alxa League which is owned by Xinjing Coal Mining Company.
A brief video of the collapse posted on the website of the Beijing Times newspaper showed a massive wall of reddish dirt or sand rushing down a slope onto mining vehicles moving below.
Inner Mongolia is among the country's top coal producers and like other regions in China has been producing at a heightened rate over the past year or so under a government call to boost local supply and stabilise prices.
with AP
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