Trapped China gold miners get porridge, blankets, one miner in coma - state media

China Gold International Resources

19/01/2021 15:15

BEIJING, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Workers trapped in a Chinese
gold mine for more than nine days received more medical and food
supplies on Tuesday, including bandages, blankets and porridge,
but one of the group is in a critical condition with a severe
head injury, state media said.
    A total of 22 workers were left trapped in the Hushan mine,
in Shandong province, after an explosion on Jan. 10. A week
later, it emerged that at least 12 of them were still alive as a
note retrieved from the mine said: "We hope the rescue won't
stop."  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2JS082 
    A drilled channel on Sunday located 11 of the miners, who
were working more than 600 metres underground, and rescuers were
subsequently able to speak to them via wired telephone.
    The official Xinhua news agency said the miners had
requested on Monday evening sausage and pickles as well as
porridge but medical experts decided they should not eat hard
food having only just regained their strength.    
    Fortified by the food and medical supplies - the fourth
consignment to reach the group - two workers who had previously
been very weak were able to walk again on Tuesday, Xinhua 
reported, citing a member of the rescue team.
    However, the People's Daily said one worker was in a coma,
in a critical condition, after sustaining a head injury in the
blast, while two were "mildly unwell" and eight in good health.
    One more worker has been located in another section of the
mine, while the whereabouts of the other 10 remain unknown.   
    News that some of the miners are still alive has boosted
Chinese netizens' hopes for a miraculous escape, with thousands
leaving prayer messages on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform
and calling on the authorities to "please speed up the rescue".
    China's National Mine Safety Administration has ordered a
comprehensive inspection of the country's non-coal mines, which
will run until the end of March, the People's Daily reported.
    There are 32,000 non-coal mines in China, most of which are
small, use outdated technology and equipment, and have poor
safety management, it said, citing an administration official.

 (Reporting by Beijing bureau
Editing by Gareth Jones)