Trapped miners walk to safety

BEIJING - All 69 Chinese coal miners trapped underground by flood waters for more than three days emerged in broad daylight blindfolded, soaked but safe.

The miners had been trapped in the Zhijian colliery in Shan county in the central province of Henan since Sunday when a flash flood caused by heavy rain surged through an old shaft.

State television said the miners were wet through when they came out of the pit entrance blindfolded to protect their eyes against the light. Most were helped by rescuers while some were put on stretchers."

An intact ventilation pipe and a telephone line were key to the rescue of the miners. Rescuers sent down milk to the miners via a hose down the ventilation pipe, the Beijing News said. More than 500 miners pumped out water and removed mud and rocks that blocked a 280m passage between where the trapped miners were and the pit entrance.

- REUTERS