It took at least another 15 days to get through a large amount of debris to reach miners who had been trapped in a gold mine in eastern China since an explosion 11 days ago.
The myshaft is blocked 350 meters (1,000 feet) below the surface by 70 tons of debris stretching another 100 meters, the Yantai city government said. “Based on expert evaluations, the extent of the blockage is far beyond expectations.”
One miner died from head injuries during the blast, state media said earlier Thursday. Of the remaining 21, rescuers contacted ten, allegedly one in a nearby room, and the status of the other ten is unknown. Two of the survivors are said to be in poor health.
Rescuers delivered food, medicine and other supplies at 11 and are removing debris and improving ventilation. They tried to clean cages and other debris that blocked the main shaft while drilling other shafts for communication, ventilation and possibly to lift workers to the surface. Drilling has reached depths of about 700 meters (about 2000 feet), media reports say.
Mine managers were detained for more than 24 hours before reporting the accident, the cause of which was not disclosed. The mine in Qizia, Shandong Province, was under construction when the January 10 explosion occurred.
Increased oversight has improved safety in China’s mining industry, which averaged 5,000 deaths a year, but demand for coal and precious metals continues to cut. In two accidents in Chongqing last year, 39 miners were killed.