Society

Rescuers race to reach 32 trapped in China mine

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-07 01:52

XIANGNING, Shanxi - The death toll after a coal mine flooded in north China's Shanxi Province has risen to six, after another body was discovered Tuesday afternoon, rescuers said.

DNA tests will be used to confirm the identities of the dead, Liu Dezheng, spokesman for the rescue headquarters, said.

Four rescue teams are trying to locate the 32 miners still trapped underground, he said. The rescuers' safety is also a priority, he added.

On Monday night and Tuesday morning, five bodies were recovered from the flooded shaft of the Wangjialing Coal Mine in Hejin City, where underground water flooded a pit on March 28 while 261 people were working. A total of 108 miners escaped unharmed while 153 were trapped underground.

On Monday, 115 miners were pulled out of the mine alive after being trapped for over a week.

Sixty survivors were transferred to three hospitals in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi, Tuesday.

Experts from the Ministry of Health and Shanxi provincial health department had examined the conditions of the 60, who have been in stable condition and their injuries are worse than others but not life-threatening.

Each of the 60 has been equipped with a personal doctor, a nurse, a psychiatrist and a volunteer.

Other survivors who remained in Hejin Municipal People's Hospital are recovering fast. Some have removed eyepatches. A worker from Henan Province said he feels much better.

Twenty six miners in Shanxi Alumninum Plant Hospital had their first noodle breakfast Tuesday morning.

The thin noodle with tomatoes, tofu, celeries and eggs made the workers feel much better. Some even said they were more hungry and wanted more.

But doctors said no them for fear of health consequences of overeating.