BEIJING: The owner of Chinese gypsum mine drowned yesterday after jumping into a well in an apparent suicide during rescue efforts for 17 workers still trapped two after the mine collapsed a killed days one person, state media said. Quoting a morning briefing by the rescue command centre, state media said Ma Congbo, president of Yurong Commerce and Trade Ltd Co, was assisting with rescue efforts yesterday morning when he jumped into a mine well and drowned. Since the mine collapse on Friday, rescuers have pulled 11 workers to safety and recovered one body, Another 17 miners are yet to be found, Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral that is widely used in construction. Chinese authorities have typically meted out harsh punishments, including jail sentences, to company management and local work safety officials following major work safety disasters. Still, lack of regulatory oversight prevails, and cost-conscious management fails to pay enough heed to work safety. The mine collapse came just days after a landslide from a man-made pileup of con- struction waste in the southern city of Shen zhen killed one person and left another 75 missing and presumed dead. Authorities have ruled that the landslide was not a geological disaster but a work safety incident, adding to China's list of major man-made disasters in recent years In a rare move, Shenzhen's top offi cials, including its party chief and mayor, bowed deeply at a press conference as an apology. AP