After living in a blocked tunnel for an extraordinary 25 days after their coal mine was flooded, three Chinese miners were finally brought out – emaciated and barely able to speak, but alive.

The men licked moisture from the walls of the tunnel to stay alive during their ordeal in the illegally operated mine in southern Guizhou province, one of the poorest regions in China.

A total of 16 men were trapped by a flood on June 17 as they worked underground and the owner tried at first to bring them out without notifying the authorities – apparently afraid that the Government would discover that he had contravened the regulations in his management of the mine. By the end of the day he had called in the emergency services who worked for a week before they were able to recover one body.

They continued their search for the other missing men. Finally, on Sunday morning, as they were digging through debris blocking a main tunnel around 400 metres (1,300ft) below the surface, they discovered a tributary passage that was also blocked. As they clawed through the fallen rubble they thought that they could hear the faint sound of voices calling for help.

They redoubled their efforts and within about one hour had cleared the mud and chunks of coal blocking the tunnel. There they saw three miners clutching mining lamps. They could hardly speak but were fully conscious. At once the rescuers covered their eyes with dark cloth to protect them from the light and brought the men out, one by one, on stretchers.

As they were brought to surface, rescuers heard them moaning: “I want water”, “I want to get to the surface”.

Photographs showed Wang Guangwei bare-chested and receiving medial treatment, his ribs clearly visible from 25 days underground. A second man, Zhao Weixing, was able to speak in simple sentences and said: “Now I feel all right”.

The men, trapped for 604 hours, were at first too weak to be transferred to hospital and were given medical attention at the site of the Xinqiao Coal Mine. However, they were in stable condition and were to be taken to a provincial-level hospital.

It was not yet known if any of the other 12 miners still missing were alive as rescue workers resumed their search.

The mine, licensed to produce 150,000 tonnes of coal a year, was being operated in violation of safety regulations, state media said. China's coal mining industry is the world's most dangerous, killing about 3,000 people in 2008.

The Government has promised repeatedly to improve mining safety, but owners greedy for profit by selling to China’s energy-hungry industrial machine frequently ignore such directives. Most accidents are blamed on failures to follow safety rules or a lack of required ventilation, fire-control and other safety equipment.

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