A paper slip retrieved from underneath a mine said that 12 workers are still alive while the other 10 are in unclear situation, after they were trapped following a gold mine blast in East China's Shandong province, according to local authorities.

Rescuers said they felt people pulling the iron ropes used to deliver the nutrient solutions on Sunday night. The rescuers previously drilled a channel at 1:56 pm on Sunday, knocked on the drilling pipe and got knocking sounds back in response.

The blast took place at 2 pm on Jan 10 at a gold mine in Qixia under Yantai city. It happened about 240 meters away from the entrance. Twenty-two workers were working more than 600 meters away from there.