Search continues for 33 still trapped in China coal mine, day after 115 pulled out

Rescuers can’t reach last 33 trapped in China mine

XIANGNING, China — Floodwaters kept rescuers from reaching 33 miners still trapped in a Chinese coal pit Tuesday, and the recovery of five bodies dimmed hopes of another miracle a day after 115 survivors were pulled out after more than a week underground.

Toxic gas was also seeping into the mine as rescue work stretched into its 10th day. Rescue headquarters’ spokesman Liu Dezheng said gas was at an “impermissible” level.

“I can only say that we are exerting all efforts,” Liu said when asked if he was hopeful for the survival of the remaining miners.

So far, there had not been any new signs of life from those still trapped, he said.

Rescuers were taking precautions to prevent explosions and to improve ventilation in the mine. Liu did not refer to a specific gas, but coal seams release large amounts of methane, which is highly combustible, and other dangerous gases.

The trapped workers were in three different spots in the mining shafts that were so far inaccessible because of the flooding, China Central Television reported. Pumping was hindered because of the narrowness of some parts of the underground passages, where large pumps won’t fit, Liu said.

The grim outlook came after a dramatic breakthrough in the rescue effort Monday. The 115 rescued miners had survived for eight days underground by eating sawdust and strapping themselves to the walls of the shafts with their belts to avoid drowning while they slept. Later, some climbed into a mining cart that floated by.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported more details Tuesday of the miners’ survival, citing an unnamed worker who said he and more than 20 others huddled on a wooden platform they had built and tried to row out on makeshift rafts. Many chewed on bits of paper they found floating in the water or even pieces of coal just to stave off hunger.

It was rare good news for China’s mining industry, the deadliest in the world. The rescues were broadcast live on national television.

Five bodies were also removed from the mine Monday night, Liu said, but rescue efforts were continuing.

A total of 153 miners had been trapped since March 28 when workers digging tunnels broke into a water-filled abandoned shaft. A preliminary investigation last week found the mine’s managers ignored water leaks before the accident, the State Administration of Work Safety said.

Many survivors were still too weak to talk at length, said Dr. Zhang Jianying at Employees’ Hospital of the Shanxi Aluminum Factory. Their eyes were still covered to protect them from the light and so far relatives were not permitted to visit.

“The most important thing for them right now is to rest,” he said.

The hospitals where the rescued workers were being treated were under tight security.

Sixty of them were taken Tuesday to hospitals in the nearest big city, Taiyuan, aboard a specially chartered train so they could receive better medical care, state media said.

The rescues ended days of anxiety for many families, who had rushed to the mine after hearing of the flood.

“For the past eight days, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I was so worried. I thought there was no hope because they were stuck in there for such a long time,” said Tang Aiming, 48, also a miner, whose brothers Aijun, 39, and Aichun, 46, were pulled out on Monday.

“We didn’t believe they were all right at first until we heard Aijun’s voice on the phone,” Tang said. “The first thing he said was: ‘I am safe now. It’s all right.”

China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest. Accidents killed 2,631 coal miners in China last year, down from 6,995 deaths in 2002, the most dangerous year on record, according to the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety.

In other good news, state media reported that five coal miners trapped in a shaft in Qitaihe city Heilongjiang province in the northeast were rescued Tuesday after 106 hours underground.