11 Chinese miners rescued after two weeks underground

January 25, 2021 Mining Editor

Two weeks after an explosion at an underground gold mine in Shandong, China, a rescue team has pulled eleven gold miners to safety. A twelfth miner is believed to be trapped on his own, 100 metres further down the mine in rising flood waters. The situation of ten other mineworkers, who were still underground is uncertain. Rescuers have not been able to make contact with the ten since the explosion.

One worker was seriously injured after the explosion and has now been confirmed dead after suffering head injuries and falling into a coma during the two-week long ordeal.

State broadcaster CCTV showed numerous ambulances parked alongside engineering vehicles at the mine in Qixia in Shandong province. The first miner brought to the surface at about 11 am, was rushed to hospital in “extremely weak physical condition”, CCTV reported.

Rescue teams have been battling difficult conditions to help the workers since the explosion sealed them underground amid rising waters on 10th January. The explosion occurred in the air ventilator shaft, causing a blockage that damaged the cable car that allowed miners to ascend.

READ RELATED Twenty-two workers trapped underground after mine explosion in China

Twenty-two workers have been trapped underground following an explosion in a gold mine which is under construction in east China’s Shandong Province, local authorities reported at late Monday night.

The accident happened at 2 pm on Sunday at Wucailong gold mine in Yantai, Shandong. However, the Yantai government did not receive the accident report from Qixia authorities until 8:48 pm Monday.

Shandong Authorities said the rescue team had been unable to contact the trapped miners as the blast damaged the communication signal system underground.

The mine is owned by Shandong Wukailong Investment, which is named by Zhaojin Mining, China’s fourth-biggest gold mine.

Read more Mining Safety News

Previous Article
BHP environment licences in Pilbara under review
BHP environment licences in Pilbara under review

Western Australia government has confirmed that the environmental licences of two mining sites operated by ...

Next Article
Cyclone contingency plans should be in place
Cyclone contingency plans should be in place

With the season’s first cyclone (TC Lucas) having formed off the North-West coast, businesses throughout th...