VietNamNet Bridge - On January 17, dozens of people brought the body of an 8th grader, who was drowned by falling into a hole left by a titanium exploring firm, to the office of the My Thanh Commune People’s Committee in the central province of Binh Dinh, to claim VND500 million ($25,000) of compensation.

The deep hole where the boy was drowned on January 16.

My Thanh commune police chief, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phuc, said after the boy, named Vo Ba Quan, was drowned in the morning of January 16, the family left his body near the hole for a day. The next morning, the family took the body to the headquarters of the commune government to ask for compensation of VND500 million.

The site where the accident happened is a 3-m deep hole left by the Truong An company. This firm left the commune after exploring titanium but did not level all pits.

According to the victim’s family, they asked for the local authorities’ compensation because "the commune slackened management, which enabled titanium mining enterprises to do business irresponsibly."

The My Thanh Commune People's Committee asked representatives of Truong An Company to meet the victim’s family to solve the case.

The company admitted its responsibility in the boy’s death and firstly paid compensation of VND100 million ($5,000). It also promised to quickly level all remaining pits.

In the last two years three students were drowned in titanium pits in the commune.

Compiled by Na Son