Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 
Rescuers contacted miners trapped underground in Qixia, East China’s Shandong via phone on Tuesday, and confirmed that they were in good condition, according to the latest update from the on-site rescue command.

As of 9:02 am Tuesday, supply goods including 55 bottles of nutrient solutions, 13 bottles of millet soup, carpets and slips to write on have been sent to the trapped miners. 

In the latest phone call with rescuers on Tuesday morning, miners confirmed their physical strength has improved. The two miners who were not in a good physical state yesterday are now feeling better. Another miner suffering traumatic wounds has been bandaged. The miners also said that they wanted to eat pickles and porridge.

A Global Times reporter on site saw rescue workers speeding up drilling operations while clearing obstacles at the site of the goldmine explosion despite complex geological conditions. 

The trapped miners are 200 meters below the obstacle in the shaft, the Global Times reporter learned. Construction workers are working round the clok to go down the shaft to cut the obstacle. 

The Global Times reporter learned that some 388 machines and pieces of equipment have been deployed for the rescue work, including some of the country’s most advanced rescue equipment. There are 16 professional rescue teams and one fire rescue team on location. 

Twenty five ambulances and more than 80 ambulance personnel are also at the scene.

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 
A team of medical experts has arrived as of Tuesday noon. The expert group was sent by the National Health Commission, and consists of five experts in critical care medicine, nutrition, neurosurgery, occupational disease and poisoning medicine, and psychological intervention from top hospitals in Beijing.

The group will re-optimize the medical aid plans and understand in detail the physical condition of each miner and establish individual health files to clarify the food and medicine and to improve their physical condition. 

Moreover, psychological support is also provided to the miners. In order to boost the confidence of the trapped miners, psychological experts were designated to the site to guide the miners to avoid pessimism, impatience, loss and other emotions.

Meanwhile, difficulties exist in the life rescue channel at 350 meters from the wellhead. The rescuers have encountered serious blockage points, with intertwined and superimposed air supply and drainage pipelines, power supply and communication cables. The construction space in the shaft is very narrow, the cage section is small and it is extremely difficult to clear the obstacles. 

The Global Times reporter saw the rescuers divided into two groups for two shifts to ensure that the rescue work does not stop. 

The blast happened on January 10, trapping 22 miners underground for more than 200 hours now. A total of 12 miners have been confirmed to be alive, while the other 10 have lost contact.