Made a noise

Liu Guihua and many of his colleagues took it in turns to turn on their helmet lamps in the dark in an attempt to combat their fear.

"Whenever anybody began to feel desperate during the long hours of waiting to be rescued, we offered encouragement, saying that a particular miner was a 'pillar' of his family and that he had parents and children to take care of," he said.

Rescuers managed to enter the tunnel at 9 am on Tuesday. Failing to find any of the 13 miners by 1 pm, they began making a noise by striking steel pipes in an effort to alert the miners. They were delighted when they heard pipes being struck in response.

Yi Guangming, 53, one of those trapped, said, "We struck 13 times to show that 13 miners were alive."

As the rescuers drained water in the small hours on Wednesday near the area where the miners were trapped, they saw Liu Guihua swimming toward them.

The others were located, and from about 6 am to 8 am, all those who have been trapped were taken out of the mine and sent to hospitals in Yibin. All were in a weak but stable condition, according to Yi Sizhang, president of the Yibin Mine First Aid Hospital.

He said those who were rescued are now able to drink water and eat liquid food.

In line with instructions issued by the emergency response office of the National Health Commission and the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission, a group of experts from the West China Hospital of Sichuan University arrived in Yibin on Wednesday to guide treatment being given to the miners.

They evaluated the men's physical condition and mental state. As they had been without water, food and sleep for so long, most of them had mild dehydration.

Wang Bo, one of the experts, said, "We discussed with local medics formulating a follow-up treatment plan, including active evaluation and intervention by mental health workers."

Chen Chaoqiong, Liu Guihua's wife, said that when they have fully recovered, the rescued miners will set up a WeChat group to keep in contact.