China says 10 workers trapped in gold mine are searching for others (updated)

China Gold International Resources

22/01/2021 12:34

* Rescuers urge trapped miners to keep going
    * More food, medical supplies sent down
    * Known survivors look for others underground

 (Adds detail in para 3 and 4)
    By Emily Chow
    QIXIA, China Jan 22 (Reuters) - The 10 known survivors
trapped since a deadly Jan. 10 gold mine explosion in northern
China have been using laser pointers and loudspeakers to try to
find their missing colleagues, state media reported on Friday.
    The rescue operation, which has been able to get food and
medicines to the miners, was expected to take at least another
two weeks, authorities have said.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2JW0PJ
    White bottles of food and water sent down to the trapped
workers had a note stuck on them saying, "We are all waiting for
you, keep going!", photos shared by propaganda department
officials with Reuters on Friday showed.
    The food items sent to the workers include millet porridge,
quail eggs, pickles and sausages and medical supplies included
disinfectant, masks and cotton socks.
    "The physical condition, psychological condition and living
environment of 10 miners in the middle section of the mine are
good," the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's
ruling Communist Party, reported on Friday.
    "The miners continued to search for other trapped persons
through laser pointer projection and loudspeaker shouting," it
said.
    A total of 22 workers were trapped in the Hushan mine by the
Jan 10 blast in Qixia, a major gold-producing region under the
administration of Yantai in coastal Shandong province.
    One has died and 11 were not in contact with the rescue
teams, according to a Xinhua radio report on Thursday.
    At least 15 days may be needed to clear the "severe
blockages" as rescuers continued to drill shafts to reach the 10
men, officials said on Thursday.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2JW0PJ
    At the site, security was tight on Friday and Reuters
journalists were not permitted to get close to the rescue
operation. 
    Workers in orange high visibility clothing could be seen
operating heavy machinery. At the entrance to the site, a
medical tent had been set up to administer COVID tests for
rescue workers.
    About 570 people are involved in the rescue, the newspaper
said.
    China's mines are among the world's deadliest. It has
recorded 573 mine-related deaths in 2020, according to the
National Mine Safety Administration.    

 (Reporting by Emily Chow in Qixia and Beijing newsroom;
Writing by Shivani Singh;
Editing by Tony Munroe and Philippa Fletcher)
 ((ShivaniSingh2@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 5669 2115))