Eight survivors found five days after mine collapsed in China

Using high-tech equipment, rescuers today found eight surviving miners five days after a gypsum mine collapsed on Christmas Day in eastern China's Shandong Province, killing one person and trapping 17 others.

The disaster occurred on Friday when 29 miners were working underground. While one was declared dead, four others managed to escape. Earlier, seven persons were rescued.

Nine persons still remain missing.

Rescuers found signs of life this morning using infrared cameras. They have contacted the eight miners and have also sent them provisions, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The rescuers were now drawing up plans to pull them to safety.
 
The rescue has been obstructed by the structural instability of the tunnel and falling debris. Holes have been drilled into the ground so that life detectors can be lowered into the pit.

The workers were weak with hunger but otherwise were in good health, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

The owner of the mine committed suicide by drowning himself when working with the rescue team early Sunday, two days after the mine collapsed. Yesterday, four Pingyi County officials were sacked for their negligence.

The cause of the accident is still to be confirmed. Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral that is widely used in construction.

In 2014, more than 900 people died in mine accidents in China.

China, which has a poor record in terms of the number of deaths caused by a lack of industrial safety standards, however insists that the number of fatalities are declining. But rights groups argue that the actual figures are higher than what the official data shows.

Anger over lax safety standards is growing after scores of deaths this year, including this month's landslide in the commercial hub of Shenzhen and a chemical blast in the industrial city of Tianjin in August.