China: A 190m borehole is being drilled to rescue four trapped miners from a Gypsum mine in Shandong. It is the fifth hole that has been drilled by the rescuers since the accident happened on 25 December 2015. The hole will be used as an escape passage for the four miners, according to China Radio International.
"Now the drill work has reached the layer of red sandstone, nearing the mine roadway. Everything went well on overall. We overcame the difficulties when drilling previous layers, and now it's the final sprint. The layer of red sandstone is as thick as 30m," said rescue worker Sang Jingqiu.
When the drilling is finished, rescuers will send down a rescue capsule to the miners in the underground tunnel. Rescuers have been able to pass food and other vital supplies through an emergency hole.
When the mine collapsed 29 miners were working underground. Apart from the four trapped miners that have been located, 11 have escaped or were rescued, one is confirmed dead and 13 remain missing.
