They came into contact with the outside.
Miners trapped for a week underground in China after an explosion managed to send a handwritten message to rescuers, authorities said on Monday.
The accident happened on January 10 in Qixia, in a gold mine in Shandong province (east), trapping 22 people more than 600 meters from the entrance of the shaft.
The explosion severely damaged the ladder giving access to the bottom of the mine and the communication cables.
Rescuers, however, managed to pierce a conduit and heard blows this weekend, synonymous with signs of life.
Accident in a gold mine in China: 22 miners trapped
The miners have since been able to send a handwritten message to the surface indicating that at least 12 of them are still alive.
“We're all exhausted.
There is an urgent need for medicines for stomach aches, painkillers, medical adhesive and anti-inflammatories.
Three people also suffer from hypertension, ”the note said.
The author of the message also writes that a large amount of water surrounds the minors, four of whom are injured.
"We do not know the situation of the 10 other people" stuck, he emphasizes.
“As long as the relief continues, we will continue to have hope.
Thank you !
"
Frequent accidents
Public television CCTV broadcast images of rescuers pulling down a wire rope through a conduit with food hanging on it, before bringing it up with the message of the minors.
Two mine officials have already been sacked after the explosion.
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Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are sometimes not enforced.
In December, 23 miners died in a coal mine in Chongqing, in the southwest of the country.
