Chinese Coal Miners Bodies Recovered; Hope Remains for More then 26 Still Missing

Putting a damper on the miracle that had 115 Chinese coal miners pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed mining shaft earlier this week, official now have recovered 7 bodies and expect to perform more recovery than rescue the rest of the week. This brings the death toll to 12 so far.

Earlier this week 115 men and five bodies were lifted from the Chinese coal mine after the men spent eight day s literally clinging to life while water rushed by. Many of the men strapped themselves to the walls with their belts while a few others made it to safety in a wooden raft they managed to string together and still others found refuge in a cart that floated by in the raging waters.

This latest news is devastating for the remaining families that are holding out hope for another miracle that their relatives would be found alive. China has the worst mining accident records in the coal mining industry worldwide. Many insiders are coming forward to say that company supervisors ignored warning signs from leaking walls shortly before this group of miners broke into the abandoned shaft that was filled with water, causing the collapse and stranding the minors.

Some reports from other countries are questioning the amount of workers who are actually trapped in the mine. Many are saying that temporary, illegal and undocumented workers were in the mine at the time of the accident.

It was reported that the survivors ate paper, saw dust and bits of coal to beat the hunger that was consuming them while they waited for rescue. Nearly all of the 115 rescued workers from earlier this week remain in area hospitals and hotels under tight security, most being denied visits from family members. Some rescued miners were able to call their families while many were not. There is a list of rescued miners available to the area camps where the miners and their families live, however some say they have no word on the whereabouts of their family members. Mine officials are not discussing this latest development.

The hope is that rescue workers can now drain off enough water to reach the remaining 26 plus miners that are trapped in two separate areas of the mine. Unfortunately, there has been no contact with either group of miners. Last weeks trapped miners were able to bang on a metal support which was heard by rescue workers giving hope to the world above that they were still alive and awaiting rescue.