BEIJING – It will take at least another 15 days to get through a massive amount of debris and reach miners who have been trapped for 11 days since an explosion at a gold mine in eastern China, authorities said on Thursday.
The mine shaft was blocked 1,000 feet below the surface by 70 tons of debris stretching another 330 feet, the Yantai city government said in a statement on its social media account.
“Based on expert evaluations, the extent of the blockade is well beyond expectations,” the statement said.
One worker was killed in 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.
The deceased worker was in a coma. Two others are said to be in poor health. Rescuers delivered food, medicine and other supplies to the group of 11 as they worked to remove debris and improve ventilation.
According to state media, some workers have been exhausted since the January 10 explosion tore through the mine built in Qixia, a jurisdiction under Yantai in Shandong province.
Rescuers 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 (according to reports).
Mine managers were detained for more than 24 hours before reporting the accident, the cause of which was not disclosed.
Increased surveillance has improved safety in China’s mining industry, which averaged 5,000 deaths a year. Yet demand for coal and precious metals is still cutting, and two accidents in Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.