The captured Chinese miners sent a desperate note asking for help

Beijing – At least 12 gold miners, trapped hundreds of meters in China underground for more than a week, have sent a warning note that they are injured, surrounded by water and in urgent need of medicine. Twenty-two workers were trapped more than 650 meters from the mine entrance after an explosion eight days ago near Qixia City in eastern Shandong Province.

After a few days without signs of life, rescuers heard knocks on Sunday afternoon as they drilled into the mine shaft.

A note was sent on a line below, saying that at least a dozen miners are still alive, but that they urgently need help as their health deteriorates.

“We urgently need drugs, painkillers, medical tape, external anti-inflammatory drugs and three people have high blood pressure,” the note reads.

The condition of the other ten workers is unknown.

Four people were injured, according to the note, which was crumpled, stained with water and scratched in pencil on the pages torn from a notebook.

“We want the rescuers not to stop, so we can still have hope. Thank you,” the note read.

The writer of the note asked the rescuers to send some medicines from his car and warned that there is a large amount of groundwater in which the miners are trapped.

Rescuers were later able to talk to some of the jailed workers after they dropped a telephone line at the mine, local officials told a news conference Monday without giving details.

Filming from the CCTV state broadcaster showed rescue workers applauded as the beating sound was detected and later rushed to read the note that was recorded on a sunken line below using a pneumatic drill.

“The race against time“

The video showed rescuers sending food and drinks attached to a wire through a small opening to the miners.

Hopes for a miraculous rescue after a few days of trying have sparked an outpouring of sympathy and encouragement on Chinese social media.

The hashtag “Qixia Gold Mine Incident” has been viewed 130 million times on the popular social networking site Weibo.

“I saw the note while watching the morning news and burst into tears,” wrote a Weibo user. “I hope they will save the trapped workers as soon as possible.”

Some rescue workers wore fur hats to prevent the cold, while others appeared to be covered in dust and dirt from the rescue operation.

Rescuers plan to drill more tunnels in the mine to evacuate the air and deliver supplies, CCTV said, as work continues to bring the men back to safety.

Chen Fei, a top city official, said the mission was a “race against time.”

“We have to win the race,” he told a news conference on Friday.

The blast severely affected the communications system and the exit from the mine, which is owned by Shandong Wucailong Investment Co. Ltd.

Two officials have already been fired over the crash, while provincial authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the blast.

Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety history and regulations are often poorly enforced.

In December, 23 workers died after being trapped underground in the southwestern city of Chongqing, just months after 16 others died from carbon monoxide poisoning after being trapped underground at another mine. of coal in the city.