Intensive efforts save 13 miners' lives

"My family has four generations of miners－my grandfather, father, myself and my son."

At the hospital, Liu Guihua was in high spirits, eating porridge and smiling at his visitors.

"Many say it was a miracle that we were rescued. This miracle was the result of our determination to survive and the government's disaster search-and-relief operations," he said.

When the accident happened, muddy water and slurry flooded in.

"The water in the tunnel reached a height of more than 10 meters. I retreated in fear, and ended up being trapped along with my colleagues in a 3-meter-high, 3-meter-wide tunnel that had a dead end," Liu Guihua said.

"We were 313 meters below the surface and more than 10 kilometers from the entrance to the shaft."

There was no cellphone signal or power supply. It was dark and the mine ventilation equipment was not working.

"We told ourselves that all we could do was wait for rescuers, who were certain to arrive. All 13 of us huddled together and we all pledged to emerge from the shaft together, without leaving anyone behind," Liu Guihua said.