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Tag: Mining accidents

  • South African authorities say 31 illegal miners killed in explosion in May, only now coming to light

    South African authorities say 31 illegal miners killed in explosion in May, only now coming to light

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    Authorities in South Africa say at least 31 people are believed to have died in a gas explosion in a disused mine shaft that happened last month but is only now coming to light

    ByMOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press

    JOHANNESBURG — At least 31 people were believed to have died in a gas explosion in a disused mine shaft in South Africa that happened last month but was only now coming to light, authorities said Friday.

    The suspected illegal miners were believed to have been killed on May 18 and most of their bodies were still underground, South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said.

    Authorities were being prevented from sending a search team into the mine to retrieve bodies because there were still dangerously high levels of methane gas in the shaft, the department said in a statement.

    It said it was considering various options to “speedily deal” with what was “a unique and strange situation.”

    Illegal prospecting is rife in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, where miners go into closed and often dangerous mine shafts to dig for deposits.

    The government department said it had received information that three bodies had been recovered after they were brought to the surface by other illegal miners. Another 16 suspected illegal miners who were also in the shaft have handed themselves over to authorities, police said.

    Authorities said they believe the miners are nationals from neighboring country Lesotho. Lesotho’s foreign ministry recently passed information onto South African authorities on the incident.

    The mine, which was previously owned by Harmony, South Africa’s largest gold-mining company, was last operational in the 1990s, the mineral resources department said. It is located in the city of Welkom in the central Free State province.

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    More AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

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  • Cooking gas explosion kills 31 people at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China

    Cooking gas explosion kills 31 people at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China

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    Authorities in northwestern China say 31 people have been killed and seven injured in a cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the city of Yinchuan

    BEIJING — A massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China killed 31 people and injured seven, Chinese authorities said Thursday.

    The blast tore through the establishment at around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday on a busy street in Yinchuan, the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people were gathering on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

    The festival is a national holiday devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats manned by teams of paddlers.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded all-out treatment of the injured and a safety overhaul after the explosion, Xinhua reported.

    Online news site The Paper cited a woman identified only by her surname Chen saying she had been about 50 meters (164 feet) from the restaurant when she heard the explosion. She described seeing two waiters emerge from the restaurant afterward, one of whom collapsed immediately, while thick smoke billowed from the restaurant and a strong smell of cooking gas permeated the area.

    The Central Government’s Ministry of Emergency Management said on its social media account that search and rescue work at the restaurant was completed early Thursday morning and investigators were sent to determine the cause of the blast.

    Industrial accidents of this type are a regular occurrence in China, usually attributed to poor government supervision, corruption, cost-cutting measures by employers and little safety training for employees.

    At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant, and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday.

    In February, 53 miners were killed in the collapse of a massive open pit coal mine in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, leading to numerous arrests, and four people were detained over a fire at an industrial trading company in central China in November that killed 38 people.

    The central government has pledged stronger safety measures since an explosion in 2015 at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. In that case, a number of local officials were accused of having taken bribes to ignore safety violations.

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  • Cooking gas explosion kills 31 people at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China

    Cooking gas explosion kills 31 people at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China

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    Authorities in northwestern China say 31 people have been killed and seven injured in a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the city of Yinchuan

    BEIJING — A massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in northwestern China killed 31 people and injured seven, Chinese authorities said Thursday.

    The blast tore through the establishment at around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday on a busy street in Yinchuan, the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people were gathering on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

    The festival is a national holiday devoted to eating rice dumplings and racing boats manned by teams of paddlers.

    Online news site The Paper cited a woman identified only by her surname Chen saying she had been about 50 meters (164 feet) from the restaurant when she heard the explosion. She described seeing two waiters emerge from the restaurant afterward, one of whom collapsed immediately, while thick smoke billowed from the restaurant and a strong smell of cooking gas permeated the area.

    The Central Government’s Ministry of Emergency Management said on its social media account that search and rescue work at the restaurant was completed early Thursday morning and investigators were sent to determine the cause of the blast.

    Industrial accidents of this type are a regular occurrence in China, usually attributed to poor government supervision, corruption, cost-cutting measures by employers and little safety training for employees.

    At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant, and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday.

    In February, 53 miners were killed in the collapse of a massive open pit coal mine in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, leading to numerous arrests, and four people were detained over a fire at an industrial trading company in central China in November that killed 38 people.

    The central government has pledged stronger safety measures since an explosion in 2015 at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. In that case, a number of local officials were accused of having taken bribes to ignore safety violations.

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  • Gold mine fire in Peru kills 27, country’s worst in two decades | CNN

    Gold mine fire in Peru kills 27, country’s worst in two decades | CNN

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    Reuters
     — 

    A fire in a small gold mine in southern Peru has left 27 people dead, authorities said on Sunday, in the country’s single deadliest mining accident in more than two decades.

    In a statement, the local government said a short-circuit sparked the fire in the early morning hours of Saturday in the southern region of Arequipa. Images on local media and on social media showed dark plumes of smoke pouring out of the site.

    The mine is operated by Yanaquihua, a small-scale firm. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    “It’s been confirmed by the Yanaquihua police station, there are 27 dead,” local prosecutor Giovanni Matos told local television on Sunday.

    Peru is the world’s top gold producer and second-largest copper producer. According to data from Peru’s ministry of energy and mines, the incident is the single deadliest mining accident since 2000.

    In 2022, 38 people were killed in mining accidents around the country, highlighting safety concerns in Latin American mining. Peru had its deadliest year in 2002 when 73 people died in different mining accidents.

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  • 12 die in explosion, helicopter crash during Chinese holiday

    12 die in explosion, helicopter crash during Chinese holiday

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    At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday

    BEIJING — At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday.

    Rescuers recovered the bodies of the nine workers killed in the explosion Monday at the Zhonghua Group plant in an industrial zone in the city of Liaocheng in the northern province of Shandong. One person remained missing and another was hospitalized with injuries, the zone’s management committee said in a notice Wednesday. An interdepartmental task force has been set up to investigate the cause of the blast, the committee said.

    On Tuesday afternoon, a small civilian-use helicopter crashed outside the northwestern city of Xi’an, killing all three people on board, state media reported. No information was given on the identities of the victims or the cause of the crash.

    Meanwhile, two earthquakes in the country’s southwest on Tuesday and Wednesday caused minor damage and slightly injured 10 people.

    Work generally stops during the five-day May Day holiday, which ended Wednesday, during which tens of millions of Chinese flock to tourist sites.

    Despite improvements, industrial safety remains a major issue in China. Accidents are blamed largely on poor oversight and a sometimes cavalier approach to safety regulations. Industries that are major sources of employment and tax revenue are often given a pass on infractions.

    In February, 53 miners were killed in the collapse of a massive open pit coal mine in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, leading to numerous arrests, and four people were detained over a fire at an industrial trading company in central China in November that killed 38 people.

    The central government has pledged stronger safety measures since an explosion in 2015 at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. In that accident, a number of local officials were accused of having taken bribes to ignore safety violations.

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  • China pushes to digitize mines in attempt to make them safer

    China pushes to digitize mines in attempt to make them safer

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    ByHAN GUAN NG Associated Press

    SHENMU, China — China is using “smart” technology to try to improve its safety record in coal mines, as part of a push by the National Energy Administration to bolster output and stem frequent accidents and collapses.

    Smart-mine sensors monitor aspects such as gas buildup and flooding or ventilation levels, and set off an alert if any reach a dangerous level. The sensors, located inside the mine and on carts and tools, transfer the data via 5G, allowing for real-time monitoring by a central command.

    Huawei Technologies Ltd., better known for telecommunications equipment, teamed up with state-owned Shaanxi Coal Industry Co to pilot its intelligent coal mine technology in Hongliulin and Xiaobaodang. Huawei has pivoted to other industries including self-driving cars, factories and mines amid U.S. sanctions that led it to report a 70% decline in profits from last year in March.

    The system has allowed Shaanxi to reduce the number of people working underground by 42% at the Xiaobaodang mine, while increasing production levels. Miners now work with the help of robots, which monitor equipment while centrally-controlled shearers are used to collect coal.

    In March, China said that 53 miners involved in an accident in a large mine in Inner Mongolia were either missing or dead. The mine collapsed in February after a landslide.

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  • China pushes to digitize mines in attempt to make them safer

    China pushes to digitize mines in attempt to make them safer

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    ByHAN GUAN NG Associated Press

    SHENMU, China — China is using “smart” technology to try to improve its safety record in coal mines, as part of a push by the National Energy Administration to bolster output and stem frequent accidents and collapses.

    Smart-mine sensors monitor aspects such as gas buildup and flooding or ventilation levels, and set off an alert if any reach a dangerous level. The sensors, located inside the mine and on carts and tools, transfer the data via 5G, allowing for real-time monitoring by a central command.

    Huawei Technologies Ltd., better known for telecommunications equipment, teamed up with state-owned Shaanxi Coal Industry Co to pilot its intelligent coal mine technology in Hongliulin and Xiaobaodang. Huawei has pivoted to other industries including self-driving cars, factories and mines amid U.S. sanctions that led it to report a 70% decline in profits from last year in March.

    The system has allowed Shaanxi to reduce the number of people working underground by 42% at the Xiaobaodang mine, while increasing production levels. Miners now work with the help of robots, which also monitor equipment including centrally-controlled shearers, the sharp blades used to collect coal.

    In March, China said that 53 miners involved in an accident in a large mine in Inner Mongolia were either missing or dead. The mine collapsed in February after a landslide.

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  • Today in History: April 24, hostage rescue mission fails

    Today in History: April 24, hostage rescue mission fails

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    Today in History

    Today is Monday, April 24, the 114th day of 2023. There are 251 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On April 24, 1962, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, California, and Westford, Massachusetts.

    On this date:

    In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North’s post-Civil War rule in the South.

    In 1915, in what’s considered the start of the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire began rounding up Armenian political and cultural leaders in Constantinople.

    In 1960, rioting erupted in Biloxi, Mississippi, after Black protesters staging a “wade-in” at a whites-only beach were attacked by a crowd of hostile whites.

    In 1961, in the wake of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, the White House issued a statement saying that President John F. Kennedy “bears sole responsibility for the events of the past few days.”

    In 1967, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov was killed when his Soyuz 1 spacecraft smashed into the Earth after his parachutes failed to deploy properly during re-entry; he was the first human spaceflight fatality.

    In 1980, the United States launched an unsuccessful attempt to free the American hostages in Iran, a mission that resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. servicemen.

    In 1990, the space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope.

    In 1995, the final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 29 others.)

    In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI formally began his stewardship of the Roman Catholic Church; the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said in his installation homily that as pontiff he would listen to the will of God in governing the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics.

    In 2013, in Bangladesh, a shoddily constructed eight-story commercial building housing garment factories collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

    In 2019, avowed racist John William King was executed in Texas for the 1998 slaying of James Byrd Jr., who was chained to the back of a truck and dragged along a road outside Jasper, Texas; prosecutors said Byrd was targeted because he was Black.

    In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued an alert about the dangers of using a malaria drug that President Donald Trump had repeatedly promoted for coronavirus patients. The parent company of Lysol and another disinfectant warned that its products should not be used as an internal treatment for the coronavirus, a day after Trump wondered aloud about that prospect during a White House briefing.

    Ten years ago: A magnitude-5.7 earthquake near Jalalabad, Afghanistan killed more than 30 people and injured more than 100. The 11th-century minaret of a famed mosque in Aleppo, Syria collapsed as rebels and government troops clashed in the streets around it, depriving the city of one of its most important landmarks. The Umayyad Mosque was a UNESCO world heritage site and the centerpiece of Aleppo’s walled Old City.

    Five years ago: Former police officer Joseph DeAngelo was arrested at his home near Sacramento, California, after DNA linked him to crimes attributed to the so-called Golden State Killer; authorities believed he committed 13 murders and more than 50 rapes in the 1970s and 1980s. (DeAngelo is awaiting trial.) Scientists announced that they had used infrared spectroscopy data from the Gemini North telescope to determine that hydrogen sulfide is present in the clouds of Uranus.

    One year ago: French President Emmanuel Macron comfortably won reelection to a second term. The victory for the 44-year-old centrist spared France and Europe from the seismic upheaval of a shift of power to firebrand populist, far-right challenger Marine Le Pen. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the highest-level visit to the war-torn country’s capital by an American delegation since the start of Russia’s invasion. The death toll from accidents at two coal mines in southern Poland increased to nine after four miners were brought to the surface and pronounced dead.

    Today’s Birthdays: Actor Shirley MacLaine is 89. Actor-singer-director Barbra Streisand is 81. Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is 81. Country singer Richard Sterban (The Oak Ridge Boys) is 80. Rock musician Doug Clifford (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 78. R&B singer Ann Peebles is 76. Former Irish Taoiseach (TEE’-shuk) Enda Kenny is 72. Actor-playwright Eric Bogosian is 70. Rock singer-musician Jack Blades (Night Ranger) is 69. Actor Michael O’Keefe is 68. Rock musician David J (Bauhaus) is 66. Actor Glenn Morshower is 64. Rock musician Billy Gould is 60. Actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer is 59. Actor Djimon Hounsou (JEYE’-mihn OHN’-soo) is 59. Rock musician Patty Schemel (Hole) is 56. Actor Stacy Haiduk is 55. Rock musician Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors) is 55. Actor Aidan Gillen is 55. Actor Melinda Clarke is 54. Actor Rory McCann is 54. Latin pop singer Alejandro Fernandez is 52. Country-rock musician Brad Morgan (Drive-By Truckers) is 52. Rock musician Brian Marshall (Creed; Alter Bridge) is 50. Actor Derek Luke is 49. Actor-producer Thad Luckinbill is 48. Actor Eric Balfour is 46. Actor Rebecca Mader is 46. Country singer Rebecca Lynn Howard is 44. Country singer Danny Gokey is 43. Actor Reagan Gomez is 43. Actor Austin Nichols is 43. Actor Sasha Barrese is 42. Contemporary Christian musician Jasen Rauch (Red) is 42. Singer Kelly Clarkson is 41. Rock singer-musician Tyson Ritter (The All-American Rejects) is 39. Country singer Carly Pearce is 33. Actor Joe Keery is 31. Actor Jack Quaid is 31. Actor Doc Shaw is 31. Actor Jordan Fisher is 29. Golfer Lydia Ko is 26.

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  • Indigenous anti-mining activist found slain in Mexico

    Indigenous anti-mining activist found slain in Mexico

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    MEXICO CITY — An Indigenous anti-mining activist has been killed in a dangerous part of western Mexico, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

    The killing of Eustacio Alcalá comes just over two months after two other community anti-mining activists disappeared near where Acalá’s body was found.

    It reinforced Mexico’s reputation as the deadliest place in the world for environmental and land defense activists, according to a report by the nongovernmental group Global Witness, which said Mexico saw 54 activists killed in 2021.

    Alcalá was found dead days after he disappeared while driving on a highway known for violent incidents on Saturday. He was driving a group of nuns or lay religious workers — it wasn’t clear which — in his truck, when they were pulled over by armed men; the nuns were later released, the activist group All Rights For Everyone said.

    Alcalá had led a largely successful fight to prevent an iron ore mine from opening near his Nahua village of San Juan Huitzontla. Residents argued the proposed mine would pollute waterways and damage the environment.

    The village is near the townships of Aquila and Coalcoman in the western state of Michoacan. The area has been on the front line of drug cartel turf battles for years.

    Prosecutors in Michoacan state said Alcalá’s body had bullet wounds. They said he was kidnapped over the weekend.

    Human rights groups demanded the killers be brought to justice.

    “We demand an exhaustive investigation,” said the Centro Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, a human rights group that helped Alcalá’s village win a court injunction against the mine last year.

    The area is known for its iron ore deposits, which in the past have proved a magnet for drug cartels seeking to extort money from mining companies. In the previous decade, one gang even exported iron ore.

    The two activists who disappeared in January have not been seen since their bullet-ridden vehicle was found on a roadway.

    The two had been active in fighting a big iron ore mine in the town of Aquila. Inhabitants have long complained the open-pit mine caused pollution and drew violence to the area, while offering little benefit to residents.

    Michoacan has long been plagued by environmental degradation and turf battles that currently pit the Jalisco cartel against the local Viagras drug gang.

    In February, Michoacan anti-logging activist Alfredo Cisneros was shot to death in the Purepecha Indigenous village of Sicuicho.

    The Indigenous communities of Michoacan have fought for years against mining and illegal logging that target the pine and fir forests of the mountainous region. Loggers often clear cut trees to plant avocados, a highly lucrative export crop in Michoacan.

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  • Sudanese officials say 14 workers dead in gold mine collapse

    Sudanese officials say 14 workers dead in gold mine collapse

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    KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — At least 14 workers are dead after a gold mine collapsed in northern Sudan, mining authorities said Friday.

    The fatal collapse happened after one of the hillsides that surround the Jebel Al-Ahmar gold mine – situated near the Egyptian border – subsided Thursday afternoon, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said in a short statement.

    At least twenty other miners were injured in the collapse, it said. Some of the more seriously injured were transferred to the hospital.

    Moataz Hajj, a spokesperson for the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, told The Associated Press Friday that a search operation had managed to free the surviving trapped miners.

    The workers had been searching inside mining wells for gold using heavy machinery which caused the collapse, according to witnesses cited in a report published by Sudan’s state-run news agency SUNA.

    The dead have been transferred to the nearby town of Wadi Halfa and have since been buried, the state company said.

    Sudan is a major gold producer with various mines scattered across the country. Collapses are common as safety standards and maintenance are poor.

    In 2021, 31 people were killed after a defunct gold mine collapsed in West Kordofan province.

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  • Gunmen kill 9 Chinese at mine in Central African Republic

    Gunmen kill 9 Chinese at mine in Central African Republic

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    BANGUI, Central African Republic — Gunmen stormed a Chinese-operated gold mining site that had recently been launched in Central African Republic, killing nine Chinese nationals and wounding two others Sunday, authorities said.

    However, the rebel coalition initially blamed by some for the attack put out a statement later in the day. Without providing evidence, it accused Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group of being behind the violence.

    The attack early Sunday came just days after gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals in the country’s west near the border with Cameroon, prompting President Faustin Archange Touadera to plan a trip to China in a bid to reassure investors.

    The assault on the Chimbolo gold mine began around 5 a.m. when the gunmen overpowered the site’s guards and opened fire, said Abel Matipata, mayor of the nearby town of Bambari, located 25 kilometers (16 miles) away. The mining site’s launch had taken place just days earlier, he added.

    The bodies of the victims were brought to the capital, Bangui, later Sunday. Local authorities said they were pursuing the assailants, but declined further comment. Residents said that the violence was the latest incident undermining confidence in security forces.

    “The government is having difficulty proving its ability to protect Central Africans and foreigners living in the country,” said Ange Morel Gbatangue, a resident of Bambari.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on the Coalition of Patriots for Change, or CPC, which is active in the area and regularly launches attacks on the country’s armed forces. The alliance of rebel groups is aligned with former President Francois Bozize.

    Anselme Bangue, who supports the current president’s administration, called the attack on Chinese businessmen an act of “indescribable cowardice.”

    “The CPC has not only slowed down the country’s economic momentum, but is now attacking the foundation of development. This is unacceptable,” Bangue said.

    However, CPC military spokesman Mamadou Koura said those allegations were false. He claimed without evidence that Russian mercenaries had planned the attack “with the goal of scaring Chinese who have been present long before the Russians settled in this part of the country.”

    The shadowy Russian mercenary group was hired by Touadera to provide security and military training, but has been accused by U.N. observers of committing human rights abuses including massacres.

    Central African Republic remains one of the poorest countries in the world despite its vast mineral wealth of gold and diamonds among others. A myriad of rebel groups have operated with impunity across the embattled country over the past decade, thwarting mining exploration by foreign companies.

    Many of those now operating in the country are Chinese-run and have faced security challenges. In 2020, two Chinese nationals died when local residents led an uprising against a Chinese-operated mine in Sosso Nakombo. And in 2018, three Chinese citizens were killed by angry community members after a local leader died in a boating accident while accompanying Chinese miners to a site.

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    Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal.

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  • Gunmen kill 9 Chinese at mine in Central African Republic

    Gunmen kill 9 Chinese at mine in Central African Republic

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    BANGUI, Central African Republic — Gunmen stormed a Chinese-operated gold mining site that had recently been launched in Central African Republic, killing nine Chinese nationals and wounding two others Sunday, authorities said.

    However, the rebel coalition initially blamed by some for the attack put out a statement later in the day. Without providing evidence, it accused Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group of being behind the violence.

    The attack early Sunday came just days after gunmen kidnapped three Chinese nationals in the country’s west near the border with Cameroon, prompting President Faustin Archange Touadera to plan a trip to China in a bid to reassure investors.

    The assault on the Chimbolo gold mine began around 5 a.m. when the gunmen overpowered the site’s guards and opened fire, said Abel Matipata, mayor of the nearby town of Bambari, located 25 kilometers (16 miles) away. The mining site’s launch had taken place just days earlier, he added.

    The bodies of the victims were brought to the capital, Bangui, later Sunday. Local authorities said they were pursuing the assailants, but declined further comment. Residents said that the violence was the latest incident undermining confidence in security forces.

    “The government is having difficulty proving its ability to protect Central Africans and foreigners living in the country,” said Ange Morel Gbatangue, a resident of Bambari.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on the Coalition of Patriots for Change, or CPC, which is active in the area and regularly launches attacks on the country’s armed forces. The alliance of rebel groups is aligned with former President Francois Bozize.

    Anselme Bangue, who supports the current president’s administration, called the attack on Chinese businessmen an act of “indescribable cowardice.”

    “The CPC has not only slowed down the country’s economic momentum, but is now attacking the foundation of development. This is unacceptable,” Bangue said.

    However, CPC military spokesman Mamadou Koura said those allegations were false. He claimed without evidence that Russian mercenaries had planned the attack “with the goal of scaring Chinese who have been present long before the Russians settled in this part of the country.”

    The shadowy Russian mercenary group was hired by Touadera to provide security and military training, but has been accused by U.N. observers of committing human rights abuses including massacres.

    Central African Republic remains one of the poorest countries in the world despite its vast mineral wealth of gold and diamonds among others. A myriad of rebel groups have operated with impunity across the embattled country over the past decade, thwarting mining exploration by foreign companies.

    Many of those now operating in the country are Chinese-run and have faced security challenges. In 2020, two Chinese nationals died when local residents led an uprising against a Chinese-operated mine in Sosso Nakombo. And in 2018, three Chinese citizens were killed by angry community members after a local leader died in a boating accident while accompanying Chinese miners to a site.

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    Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal.

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  • Colombian coal mine blast kills 11, search on for survivors

    Colombian coal mine blast kills 11, search on for survivors

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    BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A powerful explosion tore through a series of five coal mines interconnected by tunnels and ventilation systems in a rural area of central Colombia, killing at least 11 people and leaving 10 others missing, the government said Wednesday.

    Nine other miners who got out of the complex after the blast were taken for medical examinations, and three were still being treated Wednesday evening, officials said.

    President Gustavo Petro said on his Twitter account that rescuers were making every effort to reach the missing miners.

    The blast, which was attributed to a build-up of methane gas, happened Tuesday night in Sutatausa, a municipality in Cundinamarca department about 75 miles (45 miles) from the capital, Bogota.

    Álvaro Farfán, captain of the Cundinamarca fire department, told local media the explosion affected five mines interconnected by tunnels, generating a “chain” blast with a wide impact.

    Petro said 11 miners had been confirmed dead. Energy and Mines Minister Irene Vélez said 10 people were unaccounted for.

    Six bodies had been recovered by searchers, while five others had been sighted, said Javier Pava, director of the state-run National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.

    Explosions and cave-ins are common in Colombia’s coal mines.

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  • At least 2 dead, more than 50 missing in China mine collapse

    At least 2 dead, more than 50 missing in China mine collapse

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    Chinese state media say at least two people have died and more than 50 are missing following a collapse at an open pit mine in the country’s northern Inner Mongolia region

    ByThe Associated Press

    February 22, 2023, 6:20 AM

    BEIJING — An open pit mine collapsed in China‘s northern Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday, killing at least two people and leaving more than 50 missing, state media reported.

    The official Xinhua News Agency said people were buried under debris at the mine in Alxa League. It said six were rescued with injuries and 53 were still listed as missing.

    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.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded “all-out efforts in search and rescue of the missing and treatment of the injured,” Xinhua reported. Xi called for “ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property and maintaining overall social stability,” it said.

    The company running the mine, Inner Mongolia Xinjing Coal Industry Co. Ltd., was cited and fined last year for multiple safety violations ranging from insecure access routes to the mining surface to unsafe storage of volatile materials and a lack of training for its safety overseers, according to the news website The Paper.

    Inner Mongolia is a key region for mining of coal and various minerals and rare earths, which critics say has ravaged the original landscape of mountains, grassy steppes and deserts.

    China overwhelmingly relies on coal for power generation, but has tried to reduce the number of deadly mine accidents through a greater emphasis on safety and the closure of smaller operations that lacked necessary equipment.

    Most mining deaths are attributed to explosions caused by the buildup of methane and coal dust, or to drownings caused when miners break into shafts that had been abandoned due to flooding.

    China has recorded a slew of deadly industrial and construction accidents in recent months as a result of poor safety training and regulation, official corruption and a tendency to cut corners by companies seeking to make profits. The economy has slowed, partly as a result of draconian lockdowns and quarantines imposed under the now-abandoned “zero COVID” policy.

    In one of the worst recent incidents, 38 people were killed in a fire at a company dealing with chemicals and other industrial goods in the central province of Henan that was blamed on unsafe welding work.

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  • Today in History: December 19, Bill Clinton impeached

    Today in History: December 19, Bill Clinton impeached

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    Today in History

    Today is Monday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2022. There are 12 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Dec. 19, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House for perjury and obstruction of justice. (Clinton was subsequently acquitted by the Senate.)

    On this date:

    In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter.

    In 1907, 239 workers died in a coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania.

    In 1946, war broke out in Indochina as troops under Ho Chi Minh launched widespread attacks against the French.

    In 1950, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of the military forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

    In 1960, fire broke out on the hangar deck of the nearly completed aircraft carrier USS Constellation at the New York Naval Shipyard; 50 civilian workers were killed.

    In 1972, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, winding up the Apollo program of manned lunar landings.

    In 2001, the fires that had burned beneath the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York City for the previous three months were declared extinguished except for a few scattered hot spots.

    In 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell declared Iraq in “material breach” of a U.N. disarmament resolution.

    In 2003, design plans were unveiled for the signature skyscraper — a 1,776-foot glass tower — at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.

    In 2008, citing imminent danger to the national economy, President George W. Bush ordered an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry.

    In 2011, North Korea announced the death two days earlier of leader Kim Jong Il; North Koreans marched by the thousands to mourn their “Dear Leader” while state media proclaimed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, a “Great Successor.”

    In 2016, a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people in an attack claimed by Islamic State. (The suspected attacker was killed in a police shootout four days later.) A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibit in Ankara. (The assailant was later killed in a police shootout.)

    Ten years ago: Four State Department officials resigned under pressure, less than a day after a damning report blamed management failures for a lack of security at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, where militants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Park Geun-hye (goon-hay), daughter of late South Korean President Park Chung-hee, was elected the country’s first female president.

    Five years ago: A bus carrying cruise ship passengers on an excursion to Mayan ruins in southeastern Mexico flipped over on a narrow highway, killing 11 travelers and their guide and injuring about 20 others; eight Americans were among those killed. U.S. health officials approved the nation’s first gene therapy for an inherited disease, a treatment that improves the sight of patients with a rare form of blindness. David Wright, a Massachusetts man who was convicted of leading a plot inspired by the Islamic State to behead conservative blogger Pamela Geller, was sentenced in Boston to 28 years in prison.

    One year ago: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he could not support his party’s signature $2 trillion social and environment bill, dealing a seemingly fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s leading domestic initiative. (Congress would approve a smaller but still substantive compromise measure in August 2022.) The NHL and its players association temporarily clamped down on teams crossing the Canadian border and shut down operations of two more teams in hopes of salvaging the season as COVID-19 outbreaks spread across the league. Gabriel Boric, a leftist millennial who rose to prominence during anti-government protests, was elected Chile’s next president. Despite rising concerns over the omicron variant, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” achieved the third best opening of all time; studio estimates showed that the Sony and Marvel blockbuster grossed $253 million in ticket sales in North America.

    Today’s Birthdays: Actor Elaine Joyce is 79. Actor Tim Reid is 78. Musician John McEuen is 77. Singer Janie Fricke is 75. Jazz musician Lenny White is 73. Actor Mike Lookinland is 62. Actor Scott Cohen is 61. Actor Jennifer Beals is 59. Actor Robert MacNaughton is 56. Magician Criss Angel is 55. Rock musician Klaus Eichstadt (Ugly Kid Joe) is 55. Actor Ken Marino is 54. Actor Elvis Nolasco is 54. Actor Kristy Swanson is 53. Model Tyson Beckford is 52. Actor Amy Locane is 51. Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp is 50. Actor Rosa Blasi is 50. Actor Alyssa Milano is 50. Actor Tara Summers is 43. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (JIH’-lihn-hahl) is 42. Actor Marla Sokoloff is 42. Rapper Lady Sovereign is 37. Journalist Ronan Farrow is 35. Actor Nik Dodani is 29.

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  • Today in History: December 9, Charles and Diana’s separation

    Today in History: December 9, Charles and Diana’s separation

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    Today in History

    Today is Friday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2022. There are 22 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Dec. 9, 2014, U.S. Senate investigators concluded the United States had brutalized scores of terror suspects with interrogation tactics that turned secret CIA prisons into chambers of suffering and did nothing to make Americans safer after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

    On this date:

    In 1854, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s famous poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” was published in England.

    In 1911, an explosion inside the Cross Mountain coal mine near Briceville, Tennessee, killed 84 workers. (Five were rescued.)

    In 1917, British forces captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks.

    In 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated TV special featuring characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, premiered on CBS.

    In 1987, the first Palestinian intefadeh, or uprising, began as riots broke out in Gaza and spread to the West Bank, triggering a strong Israeli response.

    In 1990, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa (lek vah-WEN’-sah) won Poland’s presidential runoff by a landslide.

    In 1992, Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation. (The couple’s divorce became final in August 1996.)

    In 2000, the U-S Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt in the Florida vote count on which Al Gore pinned his best hopes of winning the White House.

    In 2006, a fire broke out at a Moscow drug treatment hospital, killing 46 women trapped by barred windows and a locked gate.

    In 2011, the European Union said 26 of its 27 member countries were open to joining a new treaty tying their finances together to solve the euro crisis; Britain remained opposed.

    In 2013, scientists revealed that NASA’s Curiosity rover had uncovered signs of an ancient freshwater lake on Mars.

    In 2020, commercial flights with Boeing 737 Max jetliners resumed for the first time since they were grounded worldwide nearly two years earlier following two deadly accidents; Brazil’s Gol Airlines became the first in the world to return the planes to its active fleet.

    Ten years ago: U.S. special forces rescued an American doctor captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan; a Navy SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, was killed during the rescue of Dr. Dilip Joseph. Same-sex couples in Washington state began exchanging vows just after midnight under a new state law allowing gay marriage. Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, 43, and six others were killed in a plane crash in northern Mexico.

    Five years ago: After more than three years of combat operations, Iraq announced that the fight against the Islamic State group was over, and that Iraq’s security forces had driven the extremists from all of the territory they once held. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield became the sixth Sooner to win college football’s Heisman Trophy.

    One year ago: A jury in Chicago convicted former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself and then lied to Chicago police about it. (Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail; he was allowed to go free after six days while he appealed the conviction.) A federal appeals court ruled against an effort by former President Donald Trump to shield documents from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Starbucks workers at a store in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize, a first for the 50-year-old coffee retailer in the U.S. A federal jury in Arkansas convicted former reality TV star Josh Duggar of downloading and possessing child pornography. (Duggar would be sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.) Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, died following years of health issues; he was 82. Provocative Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmueller died in Rome at 93.

    Today’s Birthdays: Actor Dame Judi Dench is 88. Actor Beau Bridges is 81. Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus is 80. Actor Michael Nouri is 77. Former Sen. Thomas Daschle, D-S.D., is 75. World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite is 73. Singer Joan Armatrading is 72. Actor Michael Dorn is 70. Actor John Malkovich is 69. Country singer Sylvia is 66. Singer Donny Osmond is 65. Rock musician Nick Seymour (Crowded House) is 64. Comedian Mario Cantone is 63. Actor David Anthony Higgins is 61. Actor Joe Lando is 61. Actor Felicity Huffman is 60. Empress Masako of Japan is 59. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is 56. Rock singer-musician Thomas Flowers (Oleander) is 55. Rock musician Brian Bell (Weezer) is 54. Rock singer-musician Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) is 53. TV personality-businessperson Lori Greiner (TV: “Shark Tank”) is 53. Actor Allison Smith is 53. Songwriter and former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi (dee-oh-GWAHR’-dee) is 52. Country singer David Kersh is 52. Actor Reiko (RAY’-koh) Aylesworth is 50. Rock musician Tre Cool (Green Day) is 50. Rapper Canibus is 48. Actor Kevin Daniels is 46. Actor-writer-director Mark Duplass is 46. Rock singer Imogen Heap is 45. Actor Jesse Metcalfe is 44. Actor Simon Helberg is 42. Actor Jolene Purdy is 39. Actor Joshua Sasse is 35. Actor Ashleigh Brewer is 32. Olympic gold and silver medal gymnast McKayla Maroney is 27. Olympic silver medal gymnast MyKayla Skinner is 26.

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  • Today in History: December 6, 13th Amendment is ratified

    Today in History: December 6, 13th Amendment is ratified

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    Today in History

    Today is Tuesday, Dec. 6, the 340th day of 2022. There are 25 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it.

    On this date:

    In 1790, Congress moved to Philadelphia from New York.

    In 1907, the worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia.

    In 1917, some 2,000 people were killed when an explosives-laden French cargo ship, the Mont Blanc, collided with the Norwegian vessel Imo at the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting off a blast that devastated the Canadian city. Finland declared its independence from Russia.

    In 1922, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the Irish Free State, came into force one year to the day after it was signed in London.

    In 1923, a presidential address was broadcast on radio for the first time as President Calvin Coolidge spoke to a joint session of Congress.

    In 1947, Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman.

    In 1957, America’s first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit failed as Vanguard TV3 rose about four feet off a Cape Canaveral launch pad before crashing down and exploding.

    In 1962, 37 coal miners were killed in an explosion at the Robena No. 3 Mine operated by U.S. Steel in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania.

    In 1969, a free concert by The Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway in Alameda County, California, was marred by the deaths of four people, including one who was stabbed by a Hell’s Angel.

    In 1973, House minority leader Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew.

    In 1989, 14 women were shot to death at the University of Montreal’s school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.

    In 1998, in Venezuela, former Lt. Col. Hugo Chavez (OO’-goh CHAH’-vez), who had staged a bloody coup attempt against the government six years earlier, was elected president.

    Ten years ago: Shocking some of his closest Republican colleagues, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina announced he would resign his seat to head Washington’s conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. Marijuana possession became legal in Washington state, the day a measure approved by voters to regulate marijuana like alcohol took effect.

    Five years ago: President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital, defying warnings from the Palestinians and others around the world that he would be destroying hopes for Mideast peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would seek reelection, putting him on track to become Russia’s longest-serving ruler since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

    One year ago: The Justice Department said it was ending its investigation into the 1955 lynching of the Black teenager Emmett Till, who was killed after witnesses said he whistled at a white woman in Mississippi. The White House said the U.S. would stage a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing to protest Chinese human rights abuses; U.S. athletes would compete, but no U.S. dignitaries would be sent to attend the games. The Biden administration reinstated a Trump-era policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. Medina Spirit, a 3-year-old colt whose Kentucky Derby victory in May came under scrutiny because of a positive drug test, collapsed and died after a workout at Santa Anita in Southern California.

    Today’s Birthdays: Comedy performer David Ossman is 86. Actor Patrick Bauchau is 84. Country singer Helen Cornelius is 81. Actor James Naughton is 77. Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is 77. R&B singer Frankie Beverly (Maze) is 76. Former Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., is 74. Actor JoBeth Williams is 74. Actor Tom Hulce is 69. Actor Wil Shriner is 69. Actor Kin Shriner is 69. Actor Miles Chapin is 68. Rock musician Rick Buckler (The Jam) is 67. Comedian Steven Wright is 67. Singer Tish Hinojosa is 67. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 66. Rock musician David Lovering (Pixies) is 61. Actor Janine Turner is 60. Rock musician Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) is 60. Writer-director Judd Apatow is 55. Rock musician Ulf “Buddha” Ekberg (Ace of Base) is 52. Writer-director Craig Brewer is 51. Actor Colleen Haskell is 46. Actor Lindsay Price is 46. Actor Ashley Madekwe is 41. Actor Nora Kirkpatrick is 38. Christian rock musician Jacob Chesnut (Rush of Fools) is 33. Tennis player CoCo Vandeweghe is 31. NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo (YAH’-nihs an-teh-toh-KOON’-poh) is 28.

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  • Death toll rises to 28 in Turkey coal mine explosion

    Death toll rises to 28 in Turkey coal mine explosion

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    AMASRA, Turkey — The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey rose to at least 28 people and rescue efforts continued as a fire burned in the mine, officials said Saturday.

    There were 110 miners working in the shaft when the explosion occurred Friday evening at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin.

    Energy Minister Fatih Durmaz said rescue efforts continued for 15 people with a majority of them in the mine’s gallery where a fire still burned.

    “It’s not a huge fire, but to get there safely, the fire and carbon monoxide gas must be eliminated,” he told journalists at the site.

    Four or five other miners were trapped in cave-ins, Durmaz added. The minister earlier said that preliminary assessments indicated that the explosion was likely caused by firedamp, which is a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines.

    Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 28 miners were dead and 11 rescued miners were hospitalized in Bartin and Istanbul. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 58 people had been rescued alive.

    Ambulances were on standby at the site. Rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighboring provinces, Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, said.

    Turkey’s president was expected to visit Amasra on Saturday.

    In Turkey’s worst mine disaster, a total of 301 people died in 2014 in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in western Turkey.

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  • Official: 14 dead, 28 hurt after blast in Turkish coal mine

    Official: 14 dead, 28 hurt after blast in Turkish coal mine

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    Miners carry the body of a victim in Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin, Turkey, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. An official says an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has trapped dozens of miners. At least 14 have come out alive. The cause of Friday’s blast in the town of Amasra in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin was not immediately known. (Nilay Meryem Comlek/Depo Photos via AP)

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  • Today in History: October 13, Chilean miners rescued

    Today in History: October 13, Chilean miners rescued

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    Today in History

    Today is Thursday, Oct. 13, the 286th day of 2022. There are 79 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Oct. 13, 2010, rescuers in Chile using a missile-like escape capsule pulled 33 men one by one to fresh air and freedom 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground.

    On this date:

    In 1775, the United States Navy had its origins as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.

    In 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid by President George Washington during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

    In 1932, President Herbert Hoover and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.

    In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.

    In 1960, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees in Game 7, 10-9, with a home run hit by Bill Mazeroski.

    In 1972, a Uruguayan chartered flight carrying 45 people crashed in the Andes; survivors resorted to feeding off the remains of some of the dead in order to stay alive until they were rescued more than two months later.

    In 1974, longtime television host Ed Sullivan died in New York City at age 73.

    In 1999, in Boulder, Colorado, the JonBenet Ramsey grand jury was dismissed after 13 months of work with prosecutors saying there wasn’t enough evidence to charge anyone in the 6-year-old beauty queen’s slaying.

    In 2003, the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution expanding the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.

    In 2007, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, after meeting with human-rights activists in Moscow, told reporters the Russian government under Vladimir Putin had amassed so much central authority that the power-grab could undermine its commitment to democracy.

    In 2011, Raj Rajaratnam (rahj rah-juh-RUHT’-nuhm), the hedge fund billionaire at the center of one of the biggest insider-trading cases in U.S. history, was sentenced by a federal judge in New York to 11 years behind bars.

    In 2016, Bob Dylan was named winner of the Nobel prize in literature.

    Ten years ago: Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan rallied college students in all corners of all-important Ohio and hammered at President Barack Obama for going easy on China over unfair trade practices; Obama took precious time off the campaign trail to practice for the next debate against his GOP rival. Actor and TV host Gary Collins, 74, died in Biloxi, Mississippi.

    Five years ago: President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear accord, but did not pull the U.S. out of the deal or re-impose nuclear sanctions. (Trump would pull the U.S. out of the deal the following May and restore harsh sanctions.) Attorneys general in nearly 20 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the decision to end a federal subsidy under the Affordable Care Act that lowered out-of-pocket medical costs for consumers with modest incomes.

    One year ago: U.S. officials said they would reopen land borders to nonessential travel starting in November, ending a 19-month freeze. The government reported that another jump in consumer prices in September sent inflation up 5.4% from where it was a year earlier, as tangled global supply lines continue to create havoc. At the age of 90, actor William Shatner – best known as Captain Kirk on “Star Trek” – rode into space and back aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company, becoming the oldest person to travel in space.

    Today’s Birthdays: Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 85. Actor Melinda Dillon is 83. Singer-musician Paul Simon is 81. Musician Robert Lamm (Chicago) is 78. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton is 76. Actor Demond Wilson is 76. Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 75. Pop singer John Ford Coley is 74. Actor John Lone is 70. Model Beverly Johnson is 70. Producer-writer Chris Carter is 66. Actor and former NBA star Reggie Theus (THEE’-us) is 65. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is 64. R&B singer Cherrelle is 63. Singer/TV personality Marie Osmond is 63. Rock singer Joey Belladonna is 62. NBA coach Doc Rivers is 61. Actor T’Keyah Crystal Keymah (tuh-KEE’-ah KRYS’-tal kee-MAH’) is 60. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is 60. Actor Christopher Judge is 58. Actor Matt Walsh is 58. Actor Reginald Ballard is 57. Actor Kate Walsh is 55. R&B musician Jeff Allen (Mint Condition) is 54. Actor Tisha Campbell-Martin is 54. Olympic silver medal figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 53. Country singer Rhett Akins is 53. Classical crossover singer Paul Potts is 52. TV personality Billy Bush is 51. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 51. R&B singers Brandon and Brian Casey (Jagged Edge) are 47. Actor Kiele Sanchez is 46. Former NBA All-Star Paul Pierce is 45. DJ Vice is 44. Singer Ashanti (ah-SHAHN’-tee) is 42. R&B singer Lumidee is 42. Christian rock singer Jon Micah Sumrall (Kutless) is 42. Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe is 40. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is 33. Actor Caleb McLaughlin (TV: “Stranger Things”) is 21.

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