Rescuers drill a hole at the explosion site of a gold mine in Qixia City, east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 17, 2021. Rescuers have drilled a hole from the ground to the tunnel where the trapped workers are located. /Xinhua
Rescuers have successfully made a phone call with trapped gold miners in east China's Shandong Province, officials told a press conference on Monday.
Twenty-two mine workers were trapped underground after a blast occurred at 2 p.m. on January 10 at the gold mine in Qixia, Yantai City.
Three rounds of food and medical supplies have sustained them, as they have been trapped for over a week, officials said.
On Sunday night, the miners sent a note saying that they were alive, raising rescuers' hopes.
"Eleven people are in Section 5. One in Section 6. The situation of the other ten people is unclear," the note reads, adding four of them are injured and three of them have hypertension. "Now everyone is seriously physically exhausted."
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Miners trapped for 7 days in Shandong send note, raising rescuers' hopes
Miners in Section 5 said their colleague in Section 6 hasn't contacted them in recent days, officials said at the press conference.
A note written by trapped miners. /Xinhua
According to some of the trapped miners, there's flooding underground.
Rescuers are also facing challenges, including complex geological conditions for drilling and obstacles inside the shaft, which slow the rescue process.
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Rescuers face tough hurdles at gold mine explosion site in E China: expert
As of Monday evening, 532 people from 15 rescue teams are working round-the-clock at the site. Over 30 experts are also on-site to provide immediate guidance for the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, the provincial emergency department is investigating the case.
The mine's owner, Shandong Wucailong Investment Company, has been criticized for a 30-hour delay in reporting the accident.