Two workers trapped in the gold mine in Qixia, Shandong province, have told of their experiences.

One of them said he had never stopped believing they would be saved.

"When the first explosion occurred, I was in the mine's No 6 section. As there was a lot of water in the area, I used a ladder in the shaft to climb to No 5 section.

"However, after the second explosion, No 5 section was filled with thick smoke, making it impossible to see further than about 3 meters. It was extremely chaotic.

"The area we were in is more than 500 meters from the shaft entrance. Although the water was not suitable for drinking, we used bottles and cups to get some. We didn't have any food."

The worker said he and his colleagues banged on the shaft every day to tell rescuers they were alive.

"Two or three days before a hole was drilled through to us, we heard the sounds of drilling. The sounds became extremely clear the day before the hole reached us.

"All of us stood up on hearing the sounds. It was like being reborn in an extremely hopeless situation."

The miner said that during the two weeks they were trapped, some of his colleagues became pessimistic, while others remained hopeful.

"We encouraged each other and believed the Party and the government would send rescuers to us," he said, adding that a plenty of food and water was sent down the hole to those trapped.

"I am now in good condition and I have a healthy appetite," he added.

"My thanks go to the Party, to the rescue headquarters and to all those who saved us."

The second worker said that as he was in the best physical condition among the group, he used a tool to bang heavily on the drilling rig when the hole reached the miners.

"I banged five times to indicate we were in No 5 section. Then I banged nine times, meaning nine of us were there," he said, adding that his helmet had been cracked by the explosions.

"While I was trapped, I worried the most about my family, because they didn't know whether I was alive."

The worker said that to mark Laba Festival, which fell on Jan 20 this year and is also known as the Rice Porridge Festival, the workers were sent Laba porridge, which is made from rice, beans, nuts, bean curd and meat.

"As a result, we knew it was the Laba Festival. The rescuers were so considerate," he said.

People's Daily - China Daily