(ANSA) - BEIJING, JANUARY 24 - Rescuers managed to rescue the first of 22 miners trapped underground for two weeks in eastern China today, according to state television CCTV.
The "physically weak" rescued man does not belong to the group of ten minors with whom surface contact has been established, according to the broadcaster. The CCTV footage showed a small forklift rising to the surface, lifted by a huge drilling rig. A man with a mask, who seemed unable to stand, emerged accompanied by rescuers. Since the 10 January explosion in the Qixia gold mine in the eastern province of Shandong, rescuers have been working to rescue miners stuck several hundred meters underground and threatened by rising water. The explosion blocked the entrance to the well and interrupted communications. One of the killers died last week from his injuries.
(HANDLE).