Nine miners are rescued after a mine collapsed in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on the 25th. Tweet @MvembaDizolele
Miners buried in a collapsed coal mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been safely rescued thanks to people digging the soil with their bare hands.
According to the BBC and Reuters on the 27th (local time), on the 25th, heavy rain poured down in the Congo province of South Kivu, and nine miners were buried when a coal mine collapsed.
If you look at the video of the situation at the time, which was released on Twitter, etc., people outside the mine were digging the mine entrance with shovels to save the miners. However, because it was a steep hill, soil and stones continued to pour in, delaying the rescue operation.
As a result, people began to dig the soil with their bare hands. Someone who appeared to be a colleague of the buried miners was skillfully leading the work.
Tweet @MvembaDizolele
Finally, a small hole was drilled and one miner managed to escape.
Even when debris continued to fall from the steep slope, people did not give up and dug the hole again.
People watched around clapping and cheering whenever the miners managed to escape. In the end, the nine miners escaped in about two minutes. It is reported that no one was injured.
In the Congo, there are frequent cases of mine collapses and miners being buried due to inadequate equipment or safety measures to ensure mine safety. Earlier this month, a burial accident occurred in an illegal mine, and two miners were reported dead.
Even in this burial accident, the chances of the miners being rescued were not high, but all were rescued thanks to a quick response before the mine entrance was completely blocked .
Reporter Lee Hye-won Donga.com hyewon@donga.com
