Five farmers from Zhushan County, in central China's Hubei Province, were rescued Saturday afternoon after being trapped in a deserted mine shaft for seven days.
Doctors say that all five farmers are now out of danger.
According to local sources, on March 3, Wang Zhongqi, Wang Zhonggui, Wang Zhongwei, Wang Zhonghua and Wang De, all from one village in Pankou Township, went inside a long deserted mine shaft to collect mineral ore, and were all trapped after the shaft collapsed.
Local government departments organized a rescue operation, mobilizing more than 300 soldiers. But the operation proved difficult because of terrain near the site and poor transport to the area, along with further collapses.
It is still not known how the five farmers survived for the seven days underground.
(People's Daily March 10, 2002)
