ULAN BATOR, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The body of a three-year-old girl who fell into an abandoned borehole measuring 30 meters deep and 30 centimeters in diameter in central Mongolia was recovered early Saturday, nearly 60 hours after the accident, according to the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The incident occurred on Wednesday in a mining area of Zaamar soum, Tuv province. The girl was accompanying her parents, who work at a nearby mine, when she fell into the borehole.
More than 100 rescuers from the NEMA and other relevant organizations worked continuously for 58 hours to recover the child, the NEMA said. The rescuers excavated a pit measuring 45 meters wide, 70 meters long, and 32 meters deep adjacent to the borehole, creating a three-tiered sloped access route to reach the victim, the emergency agency said.
Similar unsealed boreholes left behind after mining and exploration activities are common on the site. The tragedy has sparked public criticism, with many describing it as a consequence of irresponsible mining practices and inadequate land rehabilitation.
Following the accident, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral has instructed the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources to revoke the license of the company that carried out the drilling and failed to properly rehabilitate and secure the site. ■