| In this photo from Nov. 4, coworkers of the two miners who were trapped deep within a zinc mine in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province, hug each other in excitement after finding the trapped miners still alive. Courtesy of Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters |
Despair, hope tested two survivors who barely knew each other
By Ko Dong-hwan
Park Jeong-ha, 62, one of the two miners who survived 10 days trapped underground until helping hands miraculously arrived, has 25 years of experience working in the profession. One life-saving tip he remembered from a survival manual, in the event of a tunnel collapse, was not to stay helplessly in one place after becoming trapped but to salvage what is available and prepare a shelter to minimize the danger. This is what he and the other miner did, barricading the place with vinyl coverings to block the cold wind.
The other miner, 56, who wished to only be identified by the surname Park, started working for the mining firm in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province, only four days before the accident occurred on Oct. 26. The inexperienced miner said after being saved on Nov. 4 that the moment of collapse had instantly shrouded him in darkness as 900 tons of debris fell around them. It was such a shocking moment that he couldn't feel his arms and legs at first.
"My head was paralyzed and I couldn't think rationally," the younger Park said in a media interview, Monday. He sometimes sobbed while thinking about his desperate situation. "But I survived because I could rely on my superior who had many years of experience as a miner."
The pair barely knew each other before the incident. But they started getting to know each other better while trapped 190 meters underground.
| Surviving miners Park Jeong-ha, right, and Park, who wished to remain anonymous, talk to each other in a recovery room of Andong Hospital in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 5. Yonhap |
All they had to sustain themselves were 4 liters of fresh water, 18 packs of coffee mix and an electric water heater. They first tried to heat up the heater using a bonfire they managed to make with about 20 wooden planks. The space was somehow connected to the outside so they could make the fire without suffocating. The fire, however, melted the heater's plastic covering, leaving a stainless steel container within the device, which they used to boil water for coffee. The supplies ran out in three days.
They started collecting underground water dripping from above which they drank without boiling. The inexperienced worker vomited twice while drinking it.
They kept looking for ways to escape, exploring the tunnel's nooks and crannies for the first three days of their isolation. But all pathways were blocked by large rocks that they couldn't move.
"We dug about 10 meters but gave up after seeing no signs of meeting any path for escape," the younger Park said. "Countless times we climbed up a rocky heap about 70 degrees to handpick our way through but kept sliding down unsuccessfully. We had 20 explosives and used them over two times to blow up the rocks but it did little and didn't help with creating an escape path. We took turns clanging on pipes in the tunnel to make sounds to the outside world for about 30 to 40 minutes each time but there were no signs of a response."
Five days into their isolation, they heard the sound of explosions outside. The explosions grew louder the next day. That's when they thought help was on its way. But at the same time, their strength was dissipating.
| In front of Andong Hospital, Park Geun-hyeong, son of Park Jeong-ha, shows reporters a pair of work pants his father wore while trapped in the mine, Nov. 5. Yonhap |
The younger Park recalled that his physical strength reached its limit after eight days. The older Park reportedly recalled that he had clung firmly to the hope that his fellow miners were on their way to save him. "We miners have nothing, we are just a bunch of poor men with nothing to lose," he said. "We may smell bad but we are incredibly resilient and watch our friends' backs. That gave me hope for the rescue."
On the day of their rescue, both miners' headlamps, their only source of light in the caved-in tunnel, started flickering as the batteries were running low. As the older Park was making a fire to dry his clothes, told his coworker that there may no longer be any hope. Less than 20 minutes later, he heard another explosion. He thought he heard a sound and asked his companion, who said he hadn't heard it. The veteran miner thought he was hallucinating.
Nonetheless, the sound kept growing louder, startling the two and prompting them to put their safety helmets back on. As they retreated, they heard another bang and a light broke through the rubble from outside. Soon their colleagues were rushing in. One of them hugged the older Park and cried. Park, who had nearly lost hope, said "I'm alive, thank you" and fell to his knees crying.
An official from Andong Hospital in North Gyeongsang Province, where the two have been hospitalized after being rescued, told The Korea Times that due to requests from the survivors' family members, he cannot explain in detail about their health problems. He said both patients are eating well but sometimes wake up from sleep with minor fits. The hospital plans to check their psychological condition further and run an ophthalmological examination of their swollen eyes.