Two miners who were stranded for nine days in a collapsed zinc mine in South Korea and subsisted on instant coffee powder have been rescued.
The two men, aged 62 and 56, are reported to have stayed warm by making a fire and constructing a plastic tent.
They’re considered to be in stable condition.
A week ago, more than 150 people were killed in a crash in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
The two miners were trapped almost 200 meters (650 feet) deep after a portion of the zinc mine they were working in collapsed in Bonghwa, east of the country, on October 26.
Nine days after their experience began, they were ultimately rescued on the evening of 4 November. Both individuals were able to walk out of the mine and were transported to a nearby hospital. According to their physician, they should make a full recovery.
President Yoon Suk-yeol referred to their rescue as miraculous.
“Thank you again for returning safely from the intersection of life and death,” he posted on Facebook.
Authorities reported that the miners drank water that had fallen from the roof and ate instant coffee mix powder.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the rescue mission began on Thursday when rescue teams dug a hole and implanted a small camera to locate the miners.
They were ultimately discovered huddled together for warmth in a large cavern where many mining tunnels converged.
The niece of one of the survivors told how her uncle didn’t recognize her after nearly 10 days in the dark because he was wearing an eye mask.
According to the AFP news agency, she characterized his rescue as “surreal.”
