Four builders who were trapped inside a collapsed hydropower
project tunnel more than a week ago were pulled out alive early on
Tuesday in Yingjiang County, southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The workers, who were dragged out this morning, were sent to the
local hospital for checks.
Three are from Lijiang City, in Yunnan, and the other is from
northeast China's Liaoning Province, said sources from the
publicity department of Dehong Autonomous Prefecture of Dai and
Jingpo nationalities.
At 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, part of the water diversion tunnel for
the four-tier hydropower plant being built on Daying River suddenly
collapsed, trapping four workers who were working inside.
Yunnan provincial, Dehong prefectural and Yingjiang county
officials deployed more than 300 people for the joint rescue
operation.
Rescuers dug an extra passage to reach the trapped workers,
while talking to them through a ventilation pipe, which also
carried necessities such as food, drinkable water and first aid
equipment to the trapped workers.
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2007)