World News (China): In a surprising development that is being described by many as a miracle, 115 miners were rescued alive on Monday from a coal mine in northern China that had been flooded by underground water over a week ago, reports China's State TV.
Last heard, rescuers were still working on reaching the 38 still trapped miners.
The television coverage showed the rescued miners being taken out in stretchers amid loud cheering by people around. The rescued workers are said to be in stable condition.
The Wangjialing mine flooded on March 28 when the 261 miners were working there. 108 workers could be reached immediately after flooding.
The present rescue had begun around midnight before Monday morning, two days after tapping sound was heard from within the mine.
50 rescue groups, comprising of 200 people in all were working tirelessly draining water, monitoring gas and pulling out miners, according to Wang Jun, governor of Shanxi province where the mine is located.
The latest mine accident is one in a series of mine accidents that are common in China. In 2009, 2,631 people died in such accidents.
On Monday, China began a two-month campaign to inspect safety regulations in mines and other industries that have had serious accidents.
