CHINA> Regional
|
CHINA> Regional
|
|
Miners safe 8 days after accident
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-26 08:00 Three coal mine workers were rescued yesterday morning in Shaanxi province after being trapped underground for more than eight days. Rescuers miraculously pulled the three men to the surface in Shenmu county at about 3:30 am. Medical staff immediately bundled the three in thick coats and rushed them to the county hospital for further observation. Doctors at the scene said the men were weak but in stable condition.
The other 24 workers in the mine at the time managed to escape. Rescuers drilled a narrow channel to where they thought the men could be trapped and finally reached them yesterday. The three were able to get supplies of food and drinking water through the hole. Up to that point they had survived on water from the tank of an underground mucking machine. Rescuers then dug a wider 360-m tunnel to get the three out. Yu Mei, wife of 39-year-old Zhang, said she felt the sky had collapsed when she heard of the accident. The couple, from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has a 13-year-old daughter. Zhang wanted to make extra money and began to work in the coal mine more than a month ago. "How lucky we are! Thank goodness he is still alive," Yu said repeatedly. "I can still remember every single word he said to me through the interphone when he was still trapped underground on Oct 22. He said he was fine and not injured, which settled me down completely," she said. "Saving the trapped miners has been the most pressing task for the government," said Li Yuqing, an official with the Shaanxi provincial coal mine safety supervision administration. "Now, we can focus on finding out the cause of the accident." The private coal mine has all necessary business licenses. It covers about 3.7 sq km with about 15 million tons of coal reserves. China Daily - Xinhua |
