Handwritten note seeds hope for trapped Chinese miners

BEIJING: At least 12 gold miners trapped hundreds of metres underground in China for more than a week have sent up a note warning that they are injured, surrounded by water and urgently need medicine.

Twenty-two workers were trapped more than 600 metres from the mine’s entrance after a blast eight days ago near Qixia city in eastern Shandong province. After days without any signs of life, rescuers heard knocking sounds on Sunday afternoon as they drilled through the mine’s shaft.

A note was sent up on a line from the depths below saying that at least a dozen of the miners are still alive, but that they urgently needed help as their health deteriorates. "We are in urgent need of medicine, painkillers, medical tape, external anti-inflammatory drugs, and three people have high blood pressure," the note read.

The condition of the other ten workers is unknown. Four people were injured, according to the note, which was crumpled, water-stained and scrawled in pencil on pages ripped out of a notebook.

"We wish the rescuers won’t stop so that we can still have hope. Thank you," the note read. The writer of the note asked rescuers to send down some medication from his car, and warned that there was a large amount of underground water where the miners are trapped.

Rescuers were later able to speak with some of the trapped workers after lowering a phone line into the mine, local officials said at a press conference on Monday, without giving details of what was said.

Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed rescue workers cheering as the knocking sound was detected and later hurrying to read the note which was taped to a line sunk below using a pneumatic drill.