China rescues miners trapped underground for two weeks
RESCUERS in China yesterday pulled 11 miners to safety two weeks after they were trapped 1,900ft underground by an explosion, state media reported.
The miners were brought to the surface from around 11am yesterday, state broadcaster CCTV said – a major breakthrough for a rescue operation that has captivated the nation.
One miner was in “extremely weak physical condition” and rushed to hospital, CCTV said. The race is now on to locate another 10 still missing.
The 11 miners were rescued after the air ventilator shaft was cleared, the official state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the operation’s command centre.
Specialist teams have been battling difficult conditions since the explosion at the Hushan gold mine in Shandong province trapped the miners underground amid rising waters on Jan 10.
The explosion was in a ventilator shaft, causing a blockage that damaged the cable car.
Yesterday morning the huge amount of rubble blocking the way of rescuers suddenly fell to the bottom of the shaft, allowing the operation to take a big step forward, rescue expert Du Bingjian said. “After the obstacles fell to the bottom of the shaft, the rescue team started to bring up the miners and suspended the drilling work,” Mr Du told the Global Times. “It is currently unclear when the rescuers will reach the Sixth Central Section where the missing miners are believed to be.”
State broadcaster footage yesterday showed a small elevator carriage lifted to the surface, accompanied by rescue workers. A masked man, who appeared unable to stand, was carried out.
Later, footage showed emergency workers lifting out other miners, who wore black shades to protect their eyes from the light. One appeared to be holding his hands as if praying. Contact was first made with the miners a week ago.