Rescuers in China have freed 11 gold miners who were trapped hundreds of metres underground for two weeks. TV footage showed the first miner, who was blindfolded to protect his eyes from the light, being lifted out as emergency workers cheered. Rescue efforts are continuing to locate another 10 workers still missing inside the mine.

The entrance tunnel to the Hushan gold mine in Shandong province collapsed after an explosion on 10 January. A total of 22 miners were trapped in the blast, the cause of which is unknown. At least one died, and it is still not known if the remaining 10 are alive underground.

The first miner was brought to the surface on Sunday morning. He was blindfolded to protect his eyes from the light and was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, with his condition described as “extremely weak”.

About an hour after his rescue, 10 more miners were brought out from a different section of the mine. CCTV said one of the miners among this group was injured.