Forty-five miners trapped underground after a rock blast in a Chinese coal mine were brought to the surface Saturday in a rare successful rescue, CCTV state television reported. Eight people had been confirmed killed by Thursday’s accident at the Qianqiu colliery in the central province of Henan, it said.
Another 21 had earlier been brought out. Emergency personnel had to dig a tunnel at a depth of several hundred metres to reach the trapped men, and CCTV — which covered the rescue live — showed miners emerging from the colliery’s main lift more than 36 hours after the blast. The last miner to be rescued was carried out on a stretcher and immediately taken away by ambulance.
While mining accidents are common in China, it is unusual for so many people to be successfully brought to the surface alive.