• Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact
Premium Times Opinion
Monday, March 8, 2021
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
No Result
View All Result
Premium Times Opinion
Home Columns

Again, Entombed Humans Triumph Over Death, By Owei Lakemfa

by Premium Times
January 30, 2021
5 min read
0
Picture credit: AP

These dramatic rescues are testimonies to the human spirit; one that refuses to give up despite the odds. They were also success stories that speak to the heights that humanity has attained in technological, medical and communication development.


If you have ever been trapped in a lift; lights suddenly going off, darkness everywhere and perhaps having to breathe with others trapped in the lift, you will know how harrowing an experience it can be. But at least people know you are there and efforts are made to rescue you, with the lift door being forced open to let you out, even if it had stopped in-between floors.

However, this type of experience pales into insignificance if you were working 600 metres or 2,000 feet beneath the earth’s surface and there is a sudden and massive explosion entombing you. Unlike the lift experience, where help is likely to reach you in minutes, in this case hope is almost lost, as you can be trapped for days or weeks and even rescuers on ground, not to talk about your family, may have no idea you are alive. It is simply a nightmare.

That was the experience of some Chinese miners on duty at the Hushan Gold Mine near Yantai, Shandong province, one of the 32,000 non-coal mines in the country. Sunday, January 10 was a normal labour day as 22 of the miners worked on the shift. Then, there was a sudden, unexplained explosion, which severely damaged the entrance of the mine, cutting off communication.

For one week, there was no sign of life and it was largely assumed that the miners were dead. But in their entombment, every day, one member of the group would knock on a drill pipe that led to the surface. Then on Sunday January 17, as one of them, Mr. Wang Kang, knocked on the pipe five times, indicating that they were in the fifth section of the mine, the excited rescuers knocked back in response. Wang said: “I heard over 20 knocks, but I didn’t understand. I went back to discuss it with the other miners. We thought that could mean the number of miners underground, so I returned (to the pipe) and responded with 22 knocks.”

The next day, the miners were able to get a note to the rescuers saying: “We are heavily exhausted and in urgent need of stomach medicine, painkillers, medical tape, external anti-inflammatory drugs, and three people have high blood pressure.” Then, contact was lost. One of the miners, and a second who had fallen into a coma after sustaining a head wound in the explosion, died on Thursday, January 21. Rescuers, through a narrow shaft, sent the miners porridge and nutritional liquids. A few days later, the survivors requested a traditional meal of sausages. Rescuers designed a 711-millimeter (28-inch) diameter passage through which they hoped to pull out the miners. They also drilled smaller channels into other sections of the mine but could neither detect breathing nor movement.

Drilling through hard granite was quite difficult and slow and there was the additional danger that being waterlogged, the mine could flood. With 70 tonnes of debris standing in the way, rescuers said they needed at least 15 days to reach the men. The miners were quite optimistic and had a ringing message: “Don’t stop trying to reach us.”


In the race against time, the Chinese mobilised 600 people, including five medical experts with 25 ambulances waiting at the scene. Meanwhile, below the earth’s surface, despite their uncertain situation, some of the trapped miners tried to help rescuers locate their missing colleagues by using laser pointers and loudspeakers, but there was no response.

Drilling through hard granite was quite difficult and slow and there was the additional danger that being waterlogged, the mine could flood. With 70 tonnes of debris standing in the way, rescuers said they needed at least 15 days to reach the men. The miners were quite optimistic and had a ringing message: “Don’t stop trying to reach us.”

Reporting on their mood, Mr. Chen Fei, the deputy secretary of Yantai City said: “After we opened up the third shaft, it had a really excitable effect on the people connected. They were very confident and very hopeful that they would soon be able to get out of the mine.” Then the good news came from the lead rescue worker, Mr. Du Bingjian: “On Sunday morning, a huge obstacle blocking the well suddenly fell to the bottom of the shaft, allowing rescue work to take a big step forward.”

That beautiful Sunday morning at 11.13 a.m., there were cheers as the first miner was pulled out. He had been trapped in a different part of the gold mine, apart from the group of 10. About an hour later, the remaining 10 were pulled out. One of the miners, Mr. Du An, said: “When we heard the drills for the shaft nearing us, all of us stood up… we were too excited. There are no words to describe this feeling. I feel like I am reborn.” He said they had only water, but no food: “There was plenty of water down there, but it’s not very suitable for drinking. So we would only drink a little bit of it to survive… We comforted each other with encouraging words. That’s how we pulled through.” That afternoon, as all the 11 surviving miners were pulled out from what could have been their death chambers, the rescue workers and officials stood at attention and applauded. Some of the miners clasped their hands in appreciation. They had black blindfold across their eyes to protect them after two weeks in darkness.

However, the mine incidents question how long humans will be put in harm’s way in our quest for coal, gold, diamond and other riches in the bowels of the earth. Can technology end this ancient live entombment of precious lives? Perhaps, but not in the foreseeable future.


In hospital, Wang Kang said: “We were trapped nearly 600 metres below ground, it was a daunting task. We are so happy.” He said of the first moments of the explosion: “It blasted us really far away, and our safety helmets cracked. After it was over, we quickly tried to look for other people.” The bodies of the unaccounted nine miners were recovered a day after this dramatic rescue.

The rescue of the 11 miners in China, which was possible due to their powers of endurance, cooperation, the rescuers and the dogged fight of officials, availability of technology and some good fortune, reminds me of the quite dramatic October 13, 2010 rescue of 33 Chilean miners who were trapped 700 metres (2,300 feet) beneath the earth for 69 days. I am also reminded of the July 2018 movie-like rescue of a dozen Thai boys and their coach, after being trapped for two weeks in the flooded Tham Luang Nang cave system near the Thai-Myanmar border. That rescue demanded the pumping of millions of gallons of water out of the cave in the face of dwindling oxygen levels.

These dramatic rescues are testimonies to the human spirit; one that refuses to give up despite the odds. They were also success stories that speak to the heights that humanity has attained in technological, medical and communication development.

However, the mine incidents question how long humans will be put in harm’s way in our quest for coal, gold, diamond and other riches in the bowels of the earth. Can technology end this ancient live entombment of precious lives? Perhaps, but not in the foreseeable future.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Previous Post

Òbíríkítí: Engaging the Security Situation In Western Nigeria, By Adebajo, Awe, et al.

Next Post

South-East Governors: Preparing For a Post-oil and Restructured Nigeria, By Osmund Agbo

Related Posts

Zamfara Gold As Commonwealth, By Zailani Bappa
Opinion

Sheikh Gumi, Governor Matawalle and the Sands of Time, By Zailani Bappa

February 2, 2021
June 12 As Democracy Day Needs To Be Reconsidered, By Bashir Tofa
Opinion

The Need To Act Now To Stop the Ethnic Conflagration!, By Bashir Othman Tofa

February 2, 2021
Kofi Annan: In Service of the World, By Ejeviome Eloho Otobo & Oseloka H. Obaze
Opinion

Biden’s Likely Policy Orientation Toward Africa, By Ejeviome E. Otobo and Oseloka H. Obaze

February 2, 2021
Agenda for ‘Born Again’ JAMB and TETFUND, By Tunde Musibau Akanni
Opinion

Oyeweso, A Celebrated Historian, Ascends the Sixth Floor, By Tunde Akanni

February 2, 2021
Before Nigeria Burns, By Akin Fadeyi
Opinion

Is President Buhari Presiding Over the Last United Nigeria?, By Akin Fadeyi

February 2, 2021
On A Soyinka Prize In ‘Illiteracy’, By Biko Agozino
Opinion

Obasanjo: Only Those Who Did Not Do Well Went Into the Military, By Biko Agozino

February 1, 2021
Next Post
Religion As Africa’s Trojan Horse, By Osmund Agbo

South-East Governors: Preparing For a Post-oil and Restructured Nigeria, By Osmund Agbo

Why Lai Mohammed Must Be Fired Immediately, By Femi Aribisala

Is God Invisible?, By Femi Aribisala

Editorial

  • EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

    EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

  • EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

    EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

  • EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

    EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

  • EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

    EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

  • EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

    EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

Subscribe to our Opinion articles via email

Enter your email address to get notifications of new opinion articles as they are published.

Join 526,525 other subscribers

Most Popular

  • South Africa: What Is Malema’s Game?, By Rafiq Raji
    South Africa: What Is Malema’s Game?, By Rafiq Raji
  • Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari’s Purported Death: The Facts and Fiction (2), By Nonso Robert Attoh
    Nnamdi Kanu and Buhari’s Purported Death: The Facts and Fiction (2), By Nonso Robert Attoh
  • Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Islam Doesn't Allow A Husband To Beat Or Slap His Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam Doesn't Allow A Husband To Beat Or Slap His Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • What is the Nigerian Dream?, By Taiwo Odukoya
    What is the Nigerian Dream?, By Taiwo Odukoya
  • Looking Past the Value of the Naira, By Chuba Ezekwesili
    Looking Past the Value of the Naira, By Chuba Ezekwesili

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Podcasts

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight

© 2021 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.