As many as eleven workers trapped for two weeks by an explosion inside a Chinese gold mine were brought safely to the surface Sunday.
State broadcaster CCTV showed workers being hauled up one by one in baskets on Sunday afternoon, their eyes shielded to protect them after so many days in darkness. One worker was reported to have died from a head wound after the blast that poured rubble into the shaft on January 10 while the mine was still under construction.
The fate of ten others who were underground at the time is unknown. Authorities have detained mine managers for delaying reporting the accident.
The official China Daily posted on its website that 7 of the workers were able to walk to ambulances on their own. State broadcaster CCTV showed ambulances parked alongside engineering vehicles at the mine in Qixia, a jurisdiction under Yantai in Shandong province.
Efforts have been underway to reach the workers since the blast occurred about 240 meters from the mine's entrance, but Chinese officials said on Thursday it could take 15 days to drill through 70 tons of debris trapping many of the miners. Food, medical supplies, blankets, and batches of nutrient solution have been passed down a shaft to the 10 workers who have been located, Xinhua reported. According to state media, rescue teams are hoping to pull the miners out through a 711-millimeter diameter passage. By noon on Thursday, rescuers had drilled 18 meters into the mineshaft but heavy debris could slow efforts.
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