Rescuers tell of challenges faced
Rescue work continues at the Hushan gold mine in Qixia, Shandong province, where 22 miners have been trapped underground since Jan 10. (WANG KAI / XINHUA)
For a time on Sunday, noisy machinery operating at a gold mine rescue site in Shandong province fell silent.
After drilling a hole to a depth of more than 500 meters, workers paused to listen for any sounds coming from below ground.
We were all heartened immediately we heard the sounds
Du Bingjian, a chief engineer at the National Mine Emergency Rescue Center
The Hushan gold mine in Qixia had been rocked by an explosion on Jan 10 that left 22 workers trapped below the surface and damaged a communications system. As a result, rescuers were initially unable to establish whether the miners were still alive.
On Sunday, a rescuer twice banged on a drilling rod lowered down the hole. Team members then listened in vain for any sound being made underground.
Two minutes later, the worker banged on the rod twice again, but still there was no response.
"After we tried this several times without hearing anything, I started to become really worried," said Du Bingjian, a chief engineer at the National Mine Emergency Rescue Center. "Had something bad happened to the trapped workers, or were they too weak to respond? They could also have been some distance from the drilling rod or unable to reach it."
He told a rescue worker to bang on the rod five times. This finally produced clear sounds from below. Rescuers banged on the rod five more times and received the same number of responses.
A wire is used to send nutritional supplements and other supplies to the trapped miners. (WANG KAI / XINHUA)
For further confirmation, workers banged on the rod 27 times in three rounds of nine, receiving a response on each occasion before Du noticed that the sounds coming from below ground were getting weaker.
"We had two experienced doctors listening with stethoscopes to the sounds, but everyone standing around the hole could hear them," said Du, who has worked with emergency teams in mine shafts and helped save more than 300 trapped workers.
"We were all heartened immediately we heard the sounds," he said.
The hole, which is nearly 22 centimeters in diameter, enables rescuers to speak with the trapped miners via a communications device passed down to them.
Nutritional supplements and other supplies have been sent to the miners, including medicines twice a day on a wire, the rescue headquarters said.
Chen Fei, mayor of Yantai city, which administers Qixia, said, "Not only were the rescuers heartened, but also the trapped miners when the channel reached them."
Song Xicheng, deputy leader of the medical rescue team at the site, said, "After talking to them (the trapped workers who have been located) through the communications device, we learned that they were getting their strength back."
Rescuers drill a hole to a depth of more than 500 meters in an attempt to save the workers. (WANG KAI / XINHUA)
Drilling operations
The explosion happened at 2 pm on Jan 10, but it was not until 8 pm next day that the incident was reported to the emergency department in Qixia.
To reach the workers as quickly as possible, rescuers cleared debris blocking the shaft used to enter and exit the mine and also drilled new channels from the surface.
Ten points were selected to drill from the surface, including a wide aperture that will be used to return the workers to ground level. Sophisticated machinery is also operating around the clock at the site.
However, the rescuers have encountered a number of difficulties in the drilling work.
Du said, "Mines of this nature have strata composed of igneous rocks, which are the hardest type."
Machinery operates around the clock at the rescue site. (ZONG LAISONG / CHINA DAILY)
He added that two strata contain water, which is hindering the drilling.
"Drilling can easily deviate from the designated route in such conditions and it takes time to return to the right course," Du said.
His concerns heightened when the drilling work reached within 5 meters of the targeted depth.
"If there had been any deviation from the route, the drilling rod would not have reached the area where some of the workers are trapped. I would have let their family members down," Du said.
He chalked the rod to mark the depth where the workers are trapped.
The rod was then lowered back into the hole slowly, but it suddenly stopped descending, at which point Du knew it had reached the targeted depth.
Rescuers then started banging on the rod to attract the trapped workers' attention.
After getting a response, the rescuers raced to lower pipes down the hole to send supplies to the miners.
(WANG KAI / XINHUA)
Ray of hope
On Sunday, nutritional supplements were sent to the miners for the first time via a wire. The wire was withdrawn after 35 minutes and rescuers found the supplements had been taken and that the miners had sent up a handwritten note.
The note stated that 12 workers were still alive, including four who were injured, but the fate of the other 10 was unknown.
"We are exhausted and in urgent need of stomach medicine, painkillers, bandages and anti-inflammatory drugs. Three of us also have high blood pressure," the note read.
It also said there was smoke and a lot of water in the area where the workers are trapped.
"We hope the rescue work continues, and we remain hopeful. Thank you," it added.
Two holes are being drilled to drain the underground water.
A rescue worker finishing his shift early on Wednesday said: "We started this work on Tuesday morning. It has gone well, but the rock structure is really complicated and we don't know what difficulties we may encounter when the drilling goes deeper."
(WANG KAI / XINHUA)
He completed his shift at 2 am on Wednesday, before getting some sleep and resuming work seven hours later. "We are drilling in shifts to ensure the trapped workers remain safe and that the water does not pose a threat to them," he said.
Song, the medical team deputy leader, said that by Monday rescuers had spoken to the workers twice via the communications device lowered down the hole.
"We send down food supplies two or three times every day," he said.
On Tuesday morning, porridge was lowered to the miners. "Nutrients will be adjusted as needed," Song said.
As of Tuesday, eight of the workers were in good condition, two were experiencing slight discomfort and one was unconscious after injuring his head in the explosion. Another miner was injured but could not be reached, according to the rescue headquarters.
The National Health Commission sent a team of experts on Tuesday to help with the medical aid being sent to those underground.
The team comprises five experts from leading hospitals in Beijing working in the fields of intensive care, nutrition, neurosurgery, occupational disease, poisoning cases, and psychological intervention, the commission said.
Medical workers are continuing to communicate with the trapped miners and are keeping records for each of them to ensure they receive proper treatment and care, the rescue headquarters said.
(WANG KAI / XINHUA)
Clearing the shaft
Cables, steel wires and pipes bound together are among the debris that is seriously hampering work to clear the shaft used to enter and exit the mine, according to rescuers.
Ma Zhimin, deputy leader of the team clearing the shaft, said: "We encountered a heavy blockage at a depth of 340 meters. It took us three days to clear debris 7 meters deep."
The team encountered another heavy blockage at the depth of 350 meters on Tuesday, Ma added.
Rescuers have customized some of the equipment used to clear the shaft, which has greatly improved efficiency.
By Wednesday, 589 rescue workers had been mobilized nationwide to help save the miners, and more than 390 machines were working at the site.
Two senior officials in Qixia have been removed from their posts for the late reporting of the explosion, which delayed rescue work.
An investigation has also been launched to determine the cause of the blast.
Chen, the mayor, said anyone found responsible for the accident would "not be spared".
Liu Jiayi, Party chief of Shandong, and Li Ganjie, the provincial governor, have visited the site several times.
They urged the rescuers to spare no effort and use every minute to save those trapped.
