Five rescued from collapsed Chinese mine

BEIJING: Five miners were rescued on Saturday after languishing for at least 24 hours in a collapsed mine in northern China, where seven colleagues remain trapped, state media said.

Two of the rescued were pulled out after 24 hours underground while the fifth to be saved surfaced about 30 hours after the mine collapsed, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

All five rescued were sent to hospital where they were reported to be in a stable condition.

Two of the seven miners still underground have been confirmed alive and were being given food and water through a lifeline drilled by rescuers, Xinhua said, citing sources at the mine in the coal-rich Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

An initial investigation found that the mine's support pillars were "insufficient", Xinhua said. (AFP)