王家岭煤矿已有114名矿工获救

XIANGNING, Shanxi, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers have taken out 114 miners from the flooded Wangjialing Coal Mine in north China's Shanxi Province by Monday afternoon, nine days after the accident occurred, the rescue headquarters said.

"Rescuers are continuing the search for 39 trapped miners. The rescue work is still challenging," said Wang Jun, governor of Shanxi.

Survivors with clothes covering on their eyes are being lifted out by rescuers.

"It is a miracle in China's mining rescue history," said Luo Lin, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, who is waiting at the pit entrance.

"Scientific methods and technology used in the rescue have ensured the survivors rescued alive after being trapped underground for a week," said Shanxi Party chief Zhang Baoshun.

He said most of the survivors were brought out from a working platform, where rescued had drilled a vertical hole last week. The hole has ensured oxygen in the flooded pit. Rescuers later sent down glucose to the trapped ones.

He said he has been informed that most of the survivors were in a stable condition, and could talk soberly.

"It is miracle. It is all worth of our efforts without sleep for several days," said Wei Fusheng, a white-hair rescuer, bursting into tears.

A team of medical experts organized by the Ministry of Health have arrived in Shanxi to aide the rescue work. Many of them have the experiences of disaster relief in Wenchuan Earthquake and Haiti Quake.

"I have two daughters and a son. I had to do mining work to earn money for them," said a 45-year-old survivor taken by the Shanxi Aluminium Plant Hospital, which has admitted 35 survivors from the mine on Monday.

The hospital is among five local hospitals taking survivors from the mine.

"How fantastic to be up on ground again," said a 27-year-old survivor.

He said he heard applause when he was lifted out by rescuers.

He took hands with some survivors brought out by rescuers.

Rescuers entered the flooded Wangjialing coal mine Sunday evening to search for about 153 workers formerly believed to have been trapped for a week, after the water level dropped.

Swaying lamp lights were seen from the V-shaped lane of the flooded north China mine Sunday evening, which led to the rescue of the first group of nine survivors.