China Rescues 29 Workers From Coal Mine After Daylong Search

All 29 workers trapped in a flsand and gravel vibrating screen in egyptooded coal mine in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan have been taken to safety, ending a daylong rescue mission, China Central Television reported. The miners were wrapped in quilts by paramedics as they emerged from the pit to the applause of a crowd gathered near the entrance, the state broadcaster showed. Rescuers took about an hour between pulling out the first and last worker.

Thirty-five miners at the Sichuan pit were underground when the accident happened at 11 a.m. local time yesterday. Thirteen of them escaped while 22 remained, the official Xinhua News Agency said earlier today. Seven rescuers, led by an assistant manager at the pit, got caught in the flood after entering the colliery to free those trapped, according to Xinhua. The mine wasn’t producing and was being expanded, Chengdu Evening News reported. The upgrade would increase the pit’s annual output capacity to 60,000 metric tons from 50,000 tons.