Vienna - Rescue workers battling to save 10 Austrian miners trapped in a collapsed pit for 12 days heard noises yesterday indicating they may be alive, a government official said.
"The rescuers have picked up noises which could come from the miners," a spokeswoman for the economics ministry said.
The official at the ministry, which is responsible for the mining industry, said the sounds were being analysed to determine their exact location in the pit. Efforts to reach the men were redoubled after Sunday's rescue of 24-year old miner, Mr Georg Hainzl, who spent the best part of 10 days trapped in the magnesium silicate mine at Lassing, 220 km south-west of Vienna. The 10 men were caught in a second collapse after they descended into the pit to rescue Mr Hainzl.