TWO TRAPPED MINERS RESCUED ALIVE

[Anchor Lead]

A miraculous event took place on Friday night. Two miners who were trapped inside a mine in Bonghwa in southeast Korea walked out of the underground tunnels after 221 hours. They're making a fast recovery at the hospital where they are being treated. Now that the miners are safe, an investigation team has been established to find out what had caused the accident and who should be held accountable.

[Pkg]

Two miners were miraculously rescued 221 hours after being trapped in a mine in Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Three days have passed since their return to safety. They removed their blindfolds indoors and are walking on their own, generally making fast recovery. They had porridge until Sunday morning but started eating normally with rice and kimchi stew since lunch. Since they are making fast recovery, they are expected to be discharged in a few days. But they still need psychological care.

[Soundbite] Park Geun-hyeong(Son of a rescued miner) : "They woke up screaming several times even on Saturday night."

Since their miraculous return, authorities are stepping up efforts to find out what caused the mine collapse and how to prevent such accidents from recurring. A joint team of police and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy started investigating the safety of underground tunnels Monday. Police are focusing on the fact that this collapse occurred only two months after a similar accident left two casualties. Also, investigators must find out why the mining company decided to attempt their own rescue before making 119 rescue calls fourteen and a half hours later.

[Soundbite] Jang Chan-ik(Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency) : "We plan to focus on why the accident happened and whether the mining company had violated any safety rules."

The investigation team also plans to see if the mining company had properly followed the safety instructions issued in the past when the firm was accused of illegally burying mining waste inside the tunnels.