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Rescuers on Sunday detected signs of life from a gold mine under construction in eastern China, where 22 miners were trapped a week ago after an explosion, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The explosion, which occurred on 10 January in Qixia, in Shandong province (east), seriously damaged the staircase that gave access to the bottom of the mine, as well as the communication cables, leaving the authorities without news of the miners.
Rescuers explored the mine on Sunday and heard “knocks”, although “they still need confirmation,” according to Xinhua.
Local officials are planning to download food and phone lines to the mine, owned by local company Shandong Wucailong Investment.
Two officials were fired after the explosion.
Mine accidents are common in China, where the mining industry suffers from poor safety and regulations are rarely enforced.
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