114 miners rescued from flooded Chinese coal mine

Shanxi, Apr 5 (ANI): At least 114 miners have been rescued from the flooded Wangjialing Coal Mine in China's Shanxi Province by Monday afternoon.

The rescue headquarters said that over 114 miners have been taken out from the flooded Wangjialing Coal Mine and over 39 others are still inside, reports Xinhua.

"Rescuers are continuing the search for 39 trapped miners. The rescue work is still challenging," said Shanxi Governor Wang Jun.

Survivors had covered their eyes with clothes, as the rescue personnel pulled them out of the flooded coal mine.

"It is a miracle in China's mining rescue history," said Luo Lin, the head of the State Administration of Work Safety, who is waiting at the pit entrance.

"Scientific methods and technology used in the rescue have ensured the survivors rescued alive after being trapped underground for a week," said Shanxi Party chief Zhang Baoshun.

aoshun further said most of the survivors were brought out from a working platform, where rescued had drilled a vertical hole last week.

"The hole has ensured oxygen in the flooded pit. Rescuers later sent down glucose to the trapped ones," he said, adding that most of the survivors were in a stable condition, and could talk soberly.

"It is miracle. It is all worth of our efforts without sleep for several days," said Wei Fusheng, a white-hair rescuer, bursting into tears.

The Ministry of Health later sent a team of medical experts having the experiences of disaster relief in Wenchuan Earthquake and Haiti Quake to aide the rescue work.

"I have two daughters and a son. I had to do mining work to earn money for them," said a 45-year-old survivor taken by the Shanxi Aluminium Plant Hospital, which has admitted 35 survivors from the mine on Monday.

The hospital is among the five local hospitals assisting in taking out survivors from the mine.

"How fantastic to be up on ground again," said a 27-year-old survivor, adding that he heard applause after coming out of the Wangjialing Coal Mine.

The survivor later shook hands with the rescue personnel and praised them for their endeavor.

The rescuers had entered the flooded coalmine on Sunday evening to search for about 153 workers, who were trapped inside for a week.

Earlier on Sunday evening, swaying lamp lights were seen from the V-shaped lane of the flooded mine, which led to the rescue of the first group of nine urvivors. (ANI)