When China's Wangjialing pit flooded with 153 miners trapped inside, the rescue mission seemed doomed. But today, more than 100 miners were safely recovered.
More than a week ago, disaster struck in China’s Wangjialing pit, when the pit was flooded with millions of gallons of water with over 150 miners trapped inside. Although 3,000 rescue workers were toiling around the clock to pump out the water that had flooded the mine, they’d been unable to make contact with the miners trapped below. With each day that passed, prospects grew dimmer and dimmer, and even the miners’ families began to lose hope.
But finally, on Friday, there was a reason to regain hope: rescuers could hear people tapping on a metal pipe inside the mine. Even though they were still unable to free the miners, the teams sent down glucose packs for nourishment, along with messages from their friends and family.
“Dear fellow workers, the party central committee, the state council and the whole nation have been concerned for your safety all the time … [we] are racing the clock and going all out to save you. You must have confidence and hold on to the last!” said one note printed in The Guardian.
Today, rescuers finally managed to gain access to the pit—and much to their surprise and delight, they discovered that the vast majority of the miners had survived the eight-day plight inside the flooded mine. They’d attached themselves to the walls of the mine to stay above the water, and had eaten sawdust and bark to curb their hunger. By mid-afternoon, 115 of the miners had been pulled out of the mine, with just 38 still trapped.
While the fate of the 38 remaining miners is still unknown, and questions about safety issues surround the incident, the rescue was nonetheless a touching scene for the 115 miners, their families, and the hardworking rescuers.
“It is a miracle. It is worth all of our efforts without sleep for several days,” rescuer Wei Fusgeng told Chinese media.
He couldn’t hold back his tears of joy.