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11 lifted from collapsed mine, 18 still trapped

Xinhua, December 26, 2015

• A trapped miner is rescued from a collapsed gypsum mine in Pingyi County, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 25, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]

  
  
  

  Eleven of the 29 people trapped on Friday in the collapsed gypsum mine have been rescued by Saturday morning, rescuers said.

  A total of 29 people were working underground when the collapse occurred at about 8 a.m. Friday. Ten of them were rescued on the same day. Rescuers have located the 18 miners who are trapped at two different sites.

  The accident at the mine owned by the Yurong trade company was likely caused by another collapse that hit a neighboring gypsum goaf, he said.

  Rescue work is difficult as part of the underground tunnel has been blocked, one rescuer told Xinhua.

  The State Administration of Work Safety has sent a team of experts to the site.

  According to the official microblog of China Earthquake Networks Center, the collapse caused a 4-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale in Pingyi County.

  The shock affected local rail service, with 10 freight trains halted and eight passenger trains delayed on Friday morning, All trains had resumed service by 12:15 p.m., the Jinan Railway Bureau said.

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