A new channel has been drilled to rescue the workers trapped by a gold mine blast in East China's Shandong province, authorities said early Monday.

The channel, drilled through at around 5 am, reaches a section 698 meters from the mine entrance. It came after another channel was drilled Sunday at a section 648 meters from the entrance.

Rescuers knocked on the drilling pipe, but have not yet received responses, according to the rescue headquarters.

Hopes rose on Sunday over the fate of 22 miners after a note retrieved from underneath a mine said that 12 workers are still alive while the other 10 are in unknown condition, after a blast a week ago, according to the rescue headquarters on Sunday night.

Nutritional goods and other supplies for possible survivors were lowered via a wire, and rescuers felt a tug on the wire around 10:50 pm. When the rescuers pulled the wire back 35 minutes later, they found that the supplies had been taken and a note was attached, according to the headquarters.

The explosion occurred at 2 pm on Jan 10 at the Hushan gold mine, which was under construction.

Twenty-two miners were working more than 600 meters underground at the time of the blast, which damaged the mine's communications system, leaving rescuers unable to contact the workers.

A total of 439 people from 14 rescue teams are working round-the-clock at the site, and the rescue headquarters said that more people were joining the teams to help reach the trapped miners.

The shaft has been blocked by debris, including cables, metal and steel wires, hindering the rescuers' efforts.

After rescue workers spotted some cracks in the debris heaped in the shaft, they dropped some peanuts down the shaft in an attempt to provide the trapped miners with some food, rescue team member Sun Yingxiang was quoted as saying by Dazhong Daily, a provincial newspaper.

Rescuers had cleared debris from the shaft to a depth of 350 meters by Saturday noon, he said.

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.

A rescue shaft has reached the point where nine miners are assumed to be trapped following an explosion a week ago at a mine in East China's Shandong province, according to rescue teams.

Rescuers knocked on the drill rod and heard sounds in response on Sunday and are further identifying life signs, according to People's Daily. They also dropped food through the hole.

Machinery is drilling another five shafts, including one 71 centimeters in diameter, in search of alternative routes to the trapped miners.

The explosion occurred at 2 pm on Jan 10 at the Hushan mine in Qixia, under the administration of Yantai city.

A total of 22 workers were trapped at two workfaces more than 600 meters from the mine opening.

Drill work is being slowed by the complicated geological structure, according to the rescue command base.

Rescuers keep adding more rescue forces to save the trapped miners, according to the rescue command base.

A total of 439 people on 14 rescue teams are working around-the-clock in shifts at the site.

Rescuers have dropped some food, including peanuts, through the shaft, which miners used to go down to the workfaces, according to Dazhong Daily, the province's official newspaper.

The shaft has been blocked by debris, including cables, metal and steel wires, creating huge difficulties to clearing the shaft.

"There are some cracks among the debris heaped in the shaft, so we dropped some peanuts," Sun Yingxiang, a rescuer was quoted as saying by Dazhong Daily.

Rescuers have cleared debris in the shaft to a depth of 350 meters by Saturday noon, said Sun.

Li Ganjie, governor of Shandong, came to the rescue site on Saturday to urge rescuers to spare no efforts and seize every minute to save the trapped workers.

Yao Xiuxia, Party secretary of Qixia city in Shandong province and city mayor Zhu Tao were removed from their posts on Friday due to their major roles in the late reporting of an explosion at a gold mine at the city, according to Dazhong Daily, the province's official newspaper.

The explosion occurred at 2 pm on Sunday at the Hushan mine in Qixia, under the administration of Yantai city. But it was not until 8 pm the next day－30 hours later－that it was reported to Qixia's emergency department. 

The two will also be held accountable according to the results of an investigation.

Thirty-eight people and a large amount of equipment were added to the rescue effort by noon on Friday to save 22 gold miners trapped after an explosion underground in Yantai, Shandong province, according to the rescue command base.

The workers were trapped more than 600 meters from the mine opening, rescuers said. A total of 431 rescuers and hundreds of pieces of machinery are on the site.

Machinery is at work around the clock drilling six holes in search of alternative routes to the trapped miners. One holes had reached a depth of 526 meters as of noon on Friday.

Rescuers encountered mechanical difficulties while clearing debris in the shaft at a depth of 340 meters, according to the rescue base. The shaft is so narrow that no more than three people at a time can work on clearing debris, which has slowed the work. Rescuers are using hydraulic cutters to sever cables and wires, and oxy-acetylene torches to cut metal objects.

Drill crews have encountered difficulties such as drill bits stuck in rock cracks as they go deeper.

An additional team of 43 people and more machinery were added to the rescue effort on Thursday for 22 gold miners trapped underground after an explosion at a mine in Yantai, Shandong province.

The blast occurred at 2 pm on Sunday at the Hushan mine in Qixia, It trapped the workers more than 600 meters from the mine opening, rescuers said.

By Thursday noon, more than 390 rescuers and more than 70 machines had joined the rescue work.

A major difficulty is clearing large obstacles heaped in the shaft, which was used for ventilation, according to information provided by the rescue command base.

The shaft is so narrow that no more than three people at a time can work on clearing the debris.

In addition to those trying to open the damaged shaft, machines are at work around the clock elsewhere, urgently drilling holes in search of an alternative route to the trapped miners.

One of the holes had reached a depth of 420 meters as of noon on Thursday.

Rescuers are keeping an eye on water levels as they drill. Water in the wrong location could subject the trapped workers to new dangers.

Those responsible for the late reporting of an explosion at a gold mine under construction in eastern China have been placed under control, according to a news conference on Wednesday, as rescue teams were racing to save workers trapped underground.

The blast occurred at 2 pm on Sunday at the Hushan mine in Qixia, under the administration of Yantai city in Shandong province. But it was not until 8 pm the next day－30 hours later－that it was reported to Qixia's emergency department.

Those responsible for the reporting delay are "enemies of the people", Li Bo, vice-mayor of Yantai city, reiterated at the conference.

Machines are working around the clock drilling holes to help rescue teams reach the 22 trapped workers.

Some holes will be used to provide fresh air, necessities and communication signals, and one will be widened to 71 centimeters in diameter to bring those trapped up to the ground, Li said.

The blast trapped the workers more than 600 meters from the mine opening, according to the rescue team.

Due to damage to the communication system caused by the blast, rescuers have so far been unable to contact them.

The biggest difficulty for rescuers is clearing obstacles and repairing the shaft, which was severely damaged by the blast, rescue expert Xiu Guolin said on Wednesday.

Liu Jiayi, Party chief of Shandong, and Li Ganjie, the provincial governor, went to the site to guide the rescue work for the second time on Wednesday.

Liu urged the rescue team to spare no effort and use every minute to rescue the trapped workers in safe, scientific ways.

The province issued a notice on Wednesday to urge authorities and units at all levels to act immediately to investigate and rule out potential risks that could cause an accident in every field that matters to people's lives, and to fully implement risk prevention and control measures.

More than 320 rescuers have joined the search for 22 workers who were trapped underground after an explosion at a gold mine under construction in Yantai, Shandong province, according to news briefings held on Tuesday by the rescue team.

The explosion occurred 240 meters away from the mine entry at 2 pm on Sunday in Xicheng town of Qixia city, which is administered by Yantai city.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

The blast trapped 22 workers who were working more than 600 meters away from the entry, said Sun Shufu, head of the emergency management bureau of Yantai.

Due to damage to the communication system caused by the blast, rescuers have so far been unable to contact the trapped workers.

The Ministry of Emergency Management sent an expert team to the site to guide the rescue work on Tuesday morning.

Drilling machines have been installed at the site as part of the rescue effort. A drill pipe reached a depth of around 400 meters by 10 am on Tuesday, and rescuers equipped with respirators are being lowered to clear obstacles, Sun said.

The rescue effort has been slow because poisonous gas in the mine cannot be dispersed quickly, and drills have been blocked by obstacles that will take time to be cleared, he said.

By 4 pm Tuesday, the rescue buckets that take rescuers down have been lowered to 180.5 meters underground, and the system to detect sounds has reached a depth of 370 meters, said Sun.

The rescue team plans to drill three holes from the ground to provide air and supplies to the trapped workers, and one driller is currently working on drilling one of the holes, said Wang Zongwen, a member of the expert panel of the rescue team.

The gold mine is owned by Shandong Wucailong Investment Co.

The local government received an accident report from the mining company 30 hours after the accident occurred, according to Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday.

The company could be held accountable for the late report, Xinhua said.

The rescue of 22 workers trapped after an explosion ripped through a gold mine in Yantai, Shandong province, has slowed because poisonous gas cannot be dispersed in a short time, and drills have been blocked by obstacles, according to a notice released on Tuesday morning by the city.

The explosion occurred at 2 pm on Sunday at the mine in Xicheng town of Qixia city, which is administered by Yantai.

Rescuers are using a forced-air ventilation system to provide air underground. They are racing against time to clear the shaft that leads down, the notice said.

Because of damage to the communication system in the blast, rescuers had not been able to contact the trapped workers as of Tuesday morning.

More than 300 people, including medical workers and epidemic-prevention personnel, are standing by on the site.