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Dramatic rescue: This photo provided by the fire department shows two people who were freed from a collapsed mine after nine days
Photo: --- / dpa
Two miners have been rescued from a collapsed mine after more than nine days.
The miners, aged 62 and 59, left the zinc mine in Bonghwa County in eastern South Korea on Friday night in relatively good health, South Korean broadcasters and national news agency Yonhap reported.
They were taken to a hospital and, according to the doctors, should be able to fully recover.
After the collapse on October 26, it was unclear for a long time whether the men had survived at all.
According to officials, they managed to do this by drinking water that dripped from the ceiling and consuming instant coffee powder as a meal.
Kept warm shoulder to shoulder
The miners were reportedly stuck in a vertical shaft at a depth of around 190 meters for 221 hours.
The rescue operation began on Thursday when rescue workers drilled a hole to locate the miners using a camera.
Finally, the men were spotted sitting shoulder to shoulder in a chamber where several mine shafts converge.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called the rescue "truly wonderful".
sak/dpa
