115 trapped Chinese miners rescued

Xiangning, China (AP) - Rescue teams this morning saved the lives of 115 Chinese miners who were trapped in a flooded northern China mine for 8 days.

The miners are described by emergency crews as weak, dehydrated, malnourished and with unstable vital signs. There are none in critical condition though 26 appear to be in worse condition than the others.

The miners got trapped March 28 when they accidentally dug into an already flooded mine. There was no sign that miners were alive until April 2nd when rescuers heard tapping on a metal pipe that came from deep underground. Rescuers sent milk, glucose, and letters of encouragement down the pipe to sustain the trapped miners. Until then, the miners stayed alive by eating tree bark and sawdust.

Emergency teams are still trying to reach another 38 miners trapped in the Wangjialing mine, but authorities are calling this rescue a "miracle" for China's mining industry, which is considered the deadliest in the world.

153 Miners Still Trapped in Chinese Mine

After 24 hours of no communication, 153 miners are still stuck in the state-owned Wangjialing coal mine in northern China after a flood broke out.

The flood may have started when miners accidentally broke into a network of old, water-filled shafts.

Thousands of rescue workers are attempting to drain out enough water to reach the trapped miners.

China's State Administration of Work Safety said 261 workers
were inside the mine when it flooded, and 108 escaped or were
rescued. It is still unclear whether the trapped miners survived the flood.