Xinhua / Wang Kai / Getty
Beijing At least 12 gold miners who have trapped hundreds of plots in China for more than a week have sent a letter warning them that they are injured, surrounded by water and urgently in need of medicine. Twenty-two workers were trapped more than 650 meters from the mine’s entrance after an explosion eight days ago near the city of Qixia in eastern Shandong province.
After days without signs of life, rescuers heard knocking noises Sunday afternoon as they drilled through the mine shaft.
A letter has been sent from the depths below to say that at least a dozen of the miners are still alive, but that they urgently need help because their health is deteriorating.
“We urgently need medicine, painkillers, medical adhesive tape, external anti-inflammatory drugs, and three people have high blood pressure,” reads the note.
The condition of the other ten workers is unknown.
Four people were injured, according to the note, which were crumpled, smeared with water and scratched in pencil on pages ripped from a notebook.
“We wish the rescuers would not stop so we can still have hope. Thank you,” the note read.
Xinhua / Wang Kai / Getty
The author of the note asked rescuers to send medicine out of his car and warned that there was a large amount of underground water where the miners were trapped.
Rescuers were later able to speak to some of the trapped workers after dropping a phone line in the mine, local officials said at a news conference Monday without giving details of what was said.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed rescue workers cheering when the knocking sound was detected, and later rushed to read the note, which was pinned to a line using a pneumatic drill.
“Race against time“
In the video, rescuers were seen sending food and beverages to a wire next to a small opening to the miners.
The hope for a miracle rescue after a days-long ordeal caused an outpouring of sympathy and encouragement on Chinese social media.
The hashtag “Qixia gold mine incident” has been viewed 130 million times on the popular social media site Weibo.
“I saw the note as I watched the morning news and burst into tears,” wrote a Weibo user. “I hope they will save the trapped workers as soon as possible.”
Some rescue workers wore fur hats to ward off the cold, while others were covered in dust and dirt from the rescue operation.
Rescuers plan to drill multiple tunnels in the mine to deliver air as well as supplies, CCTV said, while work continues to bring the men back to safety.
Chen Fei, a top official in the city, said the mission was a ‘race against time’.
“We have to win the race,” he told a news conference Friday.
The blast ripped through the mine’s communications system and exit ladder, led by Shandong Wucailong Investment Co. Ltd. possessed, badly damaged.
Two officials have already been fired over the crash, while provincial authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.
Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often poorly enforced.
In December, 23 workers died after getting stuck underground in the southwestern city of Chongqing, just months after 16 others died of carbon monoxide poisoning after being trapped underground in another coal mine in the city.