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Trapped Chinese miners get porridge- state media

For ten days, Chinese officials have been scrambling to save 22 workers trapped 600 metres underground in a gold mine.

That's according to state media who said the trapped miners received more medical supplies, porridge and blankets on Tuesday, but one person is in a critical condition with a severe head injury.

The workers became trapped in the Hushan mine, in northern China's Shandong province, after an explosion on January 10.

A week later, it emerged that at least 12 of them were still alive, thanks to a note retrieved from the mine that read: "We hope the rescue won't stop."

Working around the clock, a drilled channel helped locate 11 of the miners on Sunday, and rescuers were able to speak to them via a waterproof phone.

Then on Monday evening the miners made a small request of sausages and pickles, but medical experts decided they should not eat hard food having only just regained their strength, reported Xinhua news.

It added that two workers who had been very weak were able to walk again on Tuesday thanks to the food and medical supplies, citing a member of the rescue team.

Eight of the 11 miners are in good health. But that breakthrough has been dimmed by a People's Daily report that one worker was in a coma, after he sustained a head injury from the blast.

One more miner has since been located in another section of the mine, while the whereabouts of the other 10 remain unknown.

The handling of the accident has been criticised by state media.

Two senior officials have been dismissed and the government has ordered a comprehensive inspection of the country's non-coal mines.