Four killed by asphyxiation in underground mine shaft in central Vietnam

The group was reportedly mining gold illegally in a deep underground shaft located in Dung Village in Thanh My Town, Nam Giang District in Quang Nam at around 5:00 pm, when the gas asphyxiation occurred.

According to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, in humans, "breathing in an oxygen deficient atmosphere can have serious and immediate effects, including unconsciousness after only one or two breaths.”

Two miners who were working closer to the ground were able to make it out of the shaft safely, and said they had tried to climb down to help the others but were unsuccessful due to the high concentration of toxic gas in the mine shaft.

As the group was reluctant to notify local authorities out of fear that their illegal activities would be questioned, help did not arrive until 7:00 pm the same day.

Ambulances, doctors, and dozens of police officers rushed to the site to rescue the trapped miners.

Oxygen had to be pumped down the shaft for several hours before emergency workers could reach the victims.

By 11:00 pm on Tuesday, five victims had been rescued and taken to the ground, four of whom were already dead. The sole survivor was immediately admitted to a hospital for medical aid.

A survivor of the accident in the gold mine shaft in Quang Nam Province is taken to an ambulance to
be transferred to a hospital on April 12, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The identities of the victims have yet to be confirmed, though an exclusive source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that four of them were from Ky Son District in the north-central province of Nghe An.

Authorities concluded the rescue mission at 7:30 am on Wednesday, after confirming that no one else remained trapped in the shaft.