Cheers as 29 trapped miners are freed from flooded shaft
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
November 23, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TWENTY-NINE miners trapped in a flooded coal mine shaft in southwest China's Sichuan Province for more than 24 hours were brought to safety yesterday.
Water inundated the Batian Coal Mine in Weiyuan County at 11am on Sunday when 35 miners were working underground. Thirteen miners managed to escape but 22 were trapped.
A seven-strong team led by deputy mine manager Zhang Hongliang entered the mine in an attempt to rescue the 22 but they themselves became trapped.
After pumping water out of the mine, a second group of rescuers reached the trapped miners yesterday afternoon and led them to safety.
None of those rescued showed signs of injury but all appeared weak after their ordeal. They were immediately taken to the No. 2 Hospital in Neijiang City and the People's Hospital in Weiyuan County.
State television showed the miners - barefoot and wrapped in white quilts and with their eyes shielded from the light after 24 hours in darkness - being led by medical workers out of the mine entrance. Crowds of mine workers, reporters and others cheered as they were taken to waiting ambulances.
Best medical treatment
A member of the rescue team said on CCTV that the water in the mine reached up to his neck. "The miners were nervous and excited. I told them they were safe," the unidentified rescuer said. "I am so happy we rescued all the miners."
A mine inspector who took part in the rescue said that the trapped workers were able to find dry space in the mine about 40 meters below the ground to wait to be rescued, and that fast pumping by emergency teams cleared the way for the rescuers.
"They were trapped down underground just above the leaked water," said Bao Xiqiang, an inspector with Sichuan's Work Safety Bureau. "When the water went down to a safe level, the rescuers and miners were able to wade their way out of the shaft."
"All the rescued miners will receive the best medical treatment in the hospitals," said Li Chengyun, deputy governor of Sichuan Province, who was at the scene with other government officials to guide the rescue work.
The Batian mine was not producing coal at the time of the accident, but miners were inside the mine preparing to increase annual capacity from 50,000 tons to 60,000 tons.
Lin Shucheng, chief of the provincial work safety bureau, said Batian's operation was legal and fully licensed.
Water inundated the Batian Coal Mine in Weiyuan County at 11am on Sunday when 35 miners were working underground. Thirteen miners managed to escape but 22 were trapped.
A seven-strong team led by deputy mine manager Zhang Hongliang entered the mine in an attempt to rescue the 22 but they themselves became trapped.
After pumping water out of the mine, a second group of rescuers reached the trapped miners yesterday afternoon and led them to safety.
None of those rescued showed signs of injury but all appeared weak after their ordeal. They were immediately taken to the No. 2 Hospital in Neijiang City and the People's Hospital in Weiyuan County.
State television showed the miners - barefoot and wrapped in white quilts and with their eyes shielded from the light after 24 hours in darkness - being led by medical workers out of the mine entrance. Crowds of mine workers, reporters and others cheered as they were taken to waiting ambulances.
Best medical treatment
A member of the rescue team said on CCTV that the water in the mine reached up to his neck. "The miners were nervous and excited. I told them they were safe," the unidentified rescuer said. "I am so happy we rescued all the miners."
A mine inspector who took part in the rescue said that the trapped workers were able to find dry space in the mine about 40 meters below the ground to wait to be rescued, and that fast pumping by emergency teams cleared the way for the rescuers.
"They were trapped down underground just above the leaked water," said Bao Xiqiang, an inspector with Sichuan's Work Safety Bureau. "When the water went down to a safe level, the rescuers and miners were able to wade their way out of the shaft."
"All the rescued miners will receive the best medical treatment in the hospitals," said Li Chengyun, deputy governor of Sichuan Province, who was at the scene with other government officials to guide the rescue work.
The Batian mine was not producing coal at the time of the accident, but miners were inside the mine preparing to increase annual capacity from 50,000 tons to 60,000 tons.
Lin Shucheng, chief of the provincial work safety bureau, said Batian's operation was legal and fully licensed.
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