Beijing – The Meng brothers felt good about their chances of making it out of the collapsed coal mine, until the sound of digging from outside stopped.
Meng Xianchen and Meng Xianyou clawed their way to the surface after nearly six days underground – a rare tale of survival in China’s coal mines, the world’s deadliest, where an average of 13 workers die every day.
The two even managed to crack jokes after they emerged Friday from the illegal mine – which had no oxygen, ventilation or emergency exits – in Beijing’s Fangshan district.
Details of the veteran miners’ ordeal came as rescuers in northeastern China’s Shandong province tried to reach 181 miners trapped in two flooded coal shafts. Officials said Tuesday they had not given up hope even though the workers’ chances of survival were dim after 11 days.
Doctors have said the Mengs had kidney damage from lack of water, but no other major injuries after being trapped for more than 130 hours.
The Mengs said their mining days were over. “Never. Never again,” a newspaper quoted the brothers as saying.
