Two miners in South Korea have been rescued from a collapsed mine after more than nine days. The miners, aged 62 and 59, left the zinc mine in Bonghwa County in the east of the country on Friday night (local time) in relatively good health, South Korean broadcasters and the national news agency Yonhap reported.

They were taken to a hospital. After the collapse on October 26, it was unclear for a long time whether the men had survived.

The miners were reportedly stuck in a vertical shaft at a depth of around 190 meters for 221 hours. They could therefore drink water that ran from the walls. Rescuers drilled a hole to get the men out. Their families were overjoyed to thank them for the dramatic rescue operation, it said. Both were miraculously saved, President Yoon Suk Yeol wrote on social media.