Chinese rescuers on Sunday brought 11 workers trapped 14,000 meters in a gold mine into a gold mine – with ten more people lost and at least one dead.
Hundreds of rescue workers and officials cheered as the 11 survivors were picked up one by one in baskets from the mine in Qixia on Sunday afternoon.
The saved men shielded their eyes from the sun after so many days in darkness. Many brought their hands together in gratitude, while some seemed too weak to stand.
In this photo released by the Xinhua News Agency, rescuers carry a miner trapped in a gold mine in Qixia City in eastern China’s Shandong province on Sunday, January 24, 2021. Rescuers in China on Sunday lifted several trapped miners to the surface who were trapped for two weeks after an explosion in a northern gold mine, state media reported. (Luan Qincheng / Xinhua via AP)
The men – who were sending liquid food through an improvised shaft while they were underground – were previously placed under coats and in ambulances.
They were half of the 22 who had been trapped since Jan. 10 when an explosion displaced an estimated 70 tons of debris, blocking the shaft, eliminating elevators and trapping workers at least 200 feet underground.
At least one of the miners is said to have died from a head injury in the blast, while the other ten are not being held accountable, officials said.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), it appears that one in ten is trapped in rising waters about 325 meters on its own. Rescuers so far have not been able to contact him.
In this photo released by the Xinhua News Agency, rescuers carry a miner trapped in a gold mine in Qixia City in eastern China’s Shandong province on Sunday, January 24, 2021. Rescuers in China on Sunday lifted several trapped miners to the surface who were trapped for two weeks after an explosion in a northern gold mine, state media reported. (Luan Qincheng / Xinhua via AP)
They have still located the other 9 missing miners, and the hope that they can save alive is quickly waning, the report reads.
More than 600 rescuers were working at the site of the blast, which is still under investigation, officials said.
Hina’s mines are among the deadliest in the world and have an average of 5,000 deaths a year. Even after a series of safety improvements, there were still 573 deaths related to mines in 2020, according to the National Mine Safety Administration.
Sunday’s rescue was reminiscent of the 2010 mission, when 33 miners were rescued from a copper gold mine in Chile where they were trapped for more than 69 days.
The Chilean miners, trapped in a cave, survived on rations of food and water for 17 days until rescue crews gave them a lifebuoy by drilling a small hole in the room where they were hiding.
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Weeks later, a larger hole was drilled and the miners pulled to the surface while a captivated worldwide audience watched.