Rescue workers in China lifted one of 22 workers detained for two weeks after an explosion in a northern gold mine to the surface on Sunday, state media reported.
According to reports, the employee was in a frail condition, but no other details were given. State broadcaster CCTV showed ambulances parked next to technical vehicles at the mine in Qixia, a jurisdiction under Yantai in Shandong province.
Rescue workers are in contact with 10 of the workers who were in the mine when an explosion broke out on January 10 while it was still under construction.
Another employee is said to have died, while the fate of eleven others is unknown. The shaft is reportedly blocked 350 meters (1,000 feet) below the surface by 70 tons of debris. Rescue workers drilled additional shafts for communications, ventilation and evacuation of survivors.
Surviving workers had been given a nutritional solution, but rescuers can now eat and drink regularly, along with clothing and other supplies, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reports.
Authorities have arrested mine managers for delaying the accident report for more than 24 hours. The cause of the explosion has not been disclosed.
Tighter surveillance has improved safety in the Chinese mining industry, where an average of 5,000 deaths per year used to occur. However, the demand for coal and precious metals continues to lead to cutting corners, and 39 miners were killed in two accidents in Chongqing last year.