BEIJING (AP) – Eleven workers trapped for two weeks by an explosion at a Chinese gold mine were brought to safety on Sunday.
The state broadcaster CCTV showed how workers are taken in baskets one by one on Sunday afternoon, with their eyes protected to protect them after so many days in the dark.
One worker reportedly died of a head wound after the blast that left massive amounts of debris in the ash on January 10 while the mine was still under construction.
The fate of ten others who were underground at the time is unknown. Authorities detained mine managers for delaying the crash.
The official China Daily reported on its website that seven of the workers were able to walk to ambulances alone.
State broadcaster CCTV showed numerous ambulances parked next to engineering vehicles at the mine in Qixia, a jurisdiction under Yantai in Shandong province.
Increased surveillance has improved safety in China’s mining industry, which averaged 5,000 deaths a year. However, the demand for coal and precious metals is still leading to the cutting and two accidents in Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.