CGTN America
After over a month of rescue work, four miners trapped in the collapsed tunnel of a gypsum mine were raised to the surface Friday.
CCTV’s Han Peng reports.
Four miners were pulled out one at a time after rescuers drilled a large hole 220 meters underground.
They were trapped there in a precarious site by a cave-in since Christmas Day. The mine collapse was so massive that it triggered a 4.0-magnitude earthquake.
Since then, rescuers have been boring holes into the mine hoping to reach survivors. It paid off.
This is China’s first successful rescue of miners using a large drill hole. Over the past month, the rescue mission has been hampered by complex geological conditions. But no one gave up hope since the first survivor was detected.
The four miners seem to be in good health. They were rushed to a nearby hospital. Their rescue comes as 13 others remain missing. Officials vow to continue their search.
An inside look into drilling the rescue tunnel
The trapped miners were being raised to the surface through the No.5 rescue tunnel. Digging the tunnel was a highly complex and risky operation.
CCTV’s Wang Tong-xuan reports.
The drilling of the No.5 rescue tunnel was hampered by a cave-in. It was just 30 meters from the four surviving miners.
Another problem arose. On January 9th, over a week after the drilling started, the drill got stuck 170 meters underground.
The rescue command center came up with four plans, and tried each of them in turn. Two days later, the mud was finally cleared. But more things went wrong. Part of the tunnel wall had collapsed. If it wasn’t quickly repaired, another cave-in could follow.
Rescuers decided to pour in heavy mud to consolidate the tunnel wall, and then put a tube in to fix it.
All these problems were finally resolved on January 20th. Drilling began again and continued until the No. 5 rescue tunnel was completed.
Current affairs commentator Liu Baocheng on mine rescue
CCTV spoke to current affairs commentator Liu Baocheng about the rescue. He is Dean of the Center for International Business Ethics (CIBE) at University of International Business and Economics.
Review of the month-long rescue
The gypsum mine that collapsed in December in east China’s Shandong province has drawn widespread attention across the country. Especially after four miners were found alive trapped underground. Here’s a review of the rescue operation.
The search and rescue operation has been extremely demanding on rescuers due to fears of secondary disasters.
Cave-in damaged nearby houses and buildings
The shock from the gypsum mine collapse damaged nearby houses and buildings. Villagers have been told that the land is not stable, and are understandably anxious.
Villagers here prefer to grow wheat in the farmland. But the cracks in the ground worry many.
CCTV’s Meng Qingsheng reports.
Mining expert Dave D. Lauriski on Shandong mine rescue
CCTV America spoke to Dave D. Lauriski, the President of Safety Solutions International.
He has decades-long experience with the mining industry, with some time spent in China.
