A total of 77 workers were underground when they broke into a large pool of Ordovician limestone water early in the morning.
[2][3] All rescue operations were stopped after 14 days, when medical teams believed that the 31 trapped coal miners had no chance of survival.
Yi Lan, a spokesperson for the rescue headquarters, said that workers were hoping to seal the mine pit with 50 million cubic meters of cement, rubble and water glass by April 4.
[1] The construction of the mine, which was still underway at the time of the incident, began in 2006 with the goal of producing 1.5 million tons of coal per year.
The mine is owned by Wuhai Energy Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China's largest coal producer Shenhua Group Corp. Ltd.[2]