A sudden collapse happened on Tuesday thwarted the rescue
efforts to reach a working platform where most of the 172 miners
were trapped in Huayuan Coal Mine in Xintai of Shandong Province,
on China's eastern seaboard.
Despite slim chances of survival for the miners trapped since Aug.
17, rescuers nevertheless have not abandoned their efforts and have
been digging an extra 385-meter-deep hole with the hope of reaching
the working platform.
By 6?PM Tuesday, the rescuers had dug 381 meters beneath
the ground with a drill specially taken from Shengli Oilfield and
will have to break through another four meters of soil before they
reach the working passage where most of Huayuan Coal Mine's 172
trapped miners were working, said sources from the rescue
headquarters.
But a collapse happened at the mine entrance obstructed their
efforts, and rescuers are carrying out emergent repair work.
Flood water swept through a 65-meter wide breach in the Wenhe
River levee on Aug. 17, inundating the Huayuan and Minggong mines,
leaving 181 miners trapped underground, including 172 miners from
Huayuan Coal Mine.
Twelve water pumps have been put into operation at the two
flooded coal mines, which have pumped out a total of 1.43 million
cubic meters of water.
By 6 PM Tuesday, the water level of Huyuan coal mine had fallen
to 29.98 meters, 62.62 meters down from the previous level, but
rescuers have to reduce the water level by 59.98 meters to reach
the nearest location where some of the 172 miners might be
trapped.
In addition, health and environment experts said on Tuesday that
no water pollution and epidemic have been detected in the areas
around the flooded mines.
(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2007)