XIANGNING: More than 110 workers were pulled out alive from a Chinese coal mine today in what has been hailed as a miracle rescue over a week after the men were trapped by an underground flood.

So far, 115 survivors have been rescued from the mine in China’s

coal-mining heartland of Shanxi province, state media said.

The news from Shanxi, where 153 workers were trapped when the mine flooded on March 28, was a rare bright spot for an industry known for its poor safety record and more than 2,600 deaths recorded last year.

The head of the State Administration of Work Safety, Luo Lin, hailed what he called “two miracles” more than a week after the accident,

which authorities blamed on lax

safety standards at the state-owned Wangjialing mine.

“The first is that these trapped people have made it through eight days and eight nights — this is the miracle of life. Secondly our rescue plan has been effective — this is a miracle in China’s search and rescue history,” Luo told China Central Television.

Liu Dezheng, vice-director of the Shanxi Work Safety Administration, said rescuers were still looking for the remaining 38 workers .

State television showed survivors being brought out one after

another, strapped to stretchers

and wrapped in blankets.

Groups of rescue workers

wearing blue and orange jumpsuits loaded them into scores of awaiting ambulances, while medical

personnel administered intravenous drips and oxygen.

“When we went down, we saw mine lights. We were really excited and moved. And then when we rescued them, we were even more excited,” 29-year-old rescuer Liu Huawei told AFP as he prepared to re-enter the shaft. Most were rescued from a platform above which rescuers had drilled a hole last week, ensuring those trapped had oxygen, the report said. Glucose was also sent down to the workers.Rescuers used five-seat kayaks to pull them out, he said, according to Xinhua.

At least 3,000 rescuers had been racing against time to pump water out of the mine.