BEIJING: It will take at least another 15 days for a large amount of debris to pass through and reach miners trapped for 11 days from the explosion at a gold mine in eastern China, authorities said on Thursday.
The mine shaft is blocked 1,000 feet below the surface by 70 tons of debris spanning another 330 feet, the Yantai city government said in a statement on its social media account.
“Based on expert assessments, the scope of the blockade … it’s okay it’s out of expectations,” the statement said.
A worker has died from head injuries in the blast, state media reported Thursday. Of the remaining 21, rescuers have made contact with ten, one is said to be alive in a nearby room and the condition of the other 10 is unknown.
The dead worker had been in a coma. Two others are said to be in poor health. Lifeguards have delivered food, medicine and other supplies to the group of 11 as they work to eliminate waste and improve ventilation.
State media reported that exhaustion had occurred among some of the workers since the January 10 explosion devastated the mine that was under construction in Qixia, a jurisdiction under Yantai in Shandong Province.
Lifeguards attempted to clean cages and other debris that blocked the main shaft while drilling other shafts for communication, ventilation, and possibly elevating workers to the surface. The boredomers have reached a depth of about 700 meters, according to reports.
Mine managers have been arrested for waiting more than 24 hours before reporting the crash, the cause of which has not been announced.
Increased surveillance has improved safety in China’s mining industry, which used to reach an average of 5,000 deaths a year. However, demand for coal and precious metals continues to cut corners, and two accidents in Chongqing last year killed 39 miners.