At least seven people have lost their lives due to drowning in the municipality of Chongqing, in southwestern China, after intense rainfall caused the flooding of the shaft of an old closed mine where clandestine work was being carried out, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
The police authorities of the autonomous district of Youyang have explained that the bodies were located inside a mining operation that was officially listed as closed and abandoned, located near the administrative boundaries with the autonomous district of Xiushan.
The discovery took place in the context of a search operation activated by the authorities after receiving several reports on Saturday about the disappearance of a group of people in those facilities.
During these search tasks, security forces have detained 21 individuals for their alleged involvement in the initiation of illegal mining activities. According to the aforementioned agency, the local Police have initiated the corresponding investigation to clarify all the circumstances of the incident.