Wunder von Lengede

On 7 November 1963, 11 West German miners were rescued from a collapsed mine after surviving for 14 days, an event that later became known as the Wunder von Lengede ("miracle of Lengede").

On 24 October 1963, the Lengede-Broistedt Iron Mine near Salzgitter was flooded with 500,000 cubic metres (18,000,000 cu ft) of muddy water after a sedimentation pond had broken its ground and the tunnels between the 60-metre (200 ft) and 100 m (330 ft) levels. Out of 129 workers, 79 escaped during the first few hours. They used underground mine ventilation raises and further shafts which had been provided with ladders due to safety regulations. At first there seemed to be no hope for the remaining 50 miners. Several attempts and deliberations about possible rescue positions within the mine and the successful rescue of miners at the one or other locations gave rise to a sequence of dramatic and technically challenging rescue missions with hitherto unseen worldwide media coverage.

After one day, seven more miners could be located with a small access bore hole close to the Hauptbremsberg, a central transport hub in the mine. While broader rescue drilling was under-way, due to the falling water level, they sent a message to the surface, they would try to escape on their own. Four foremen from above secretly took initiative to meet the men halfway with a makeshift float and get the men back on the surface.

It had been calculated that four more workers could have survived in an air bubble on their working place. A bore hole drilled to that very section revealed life signs. These miners (only three had actually survived) had to be brought to the surface through an escape hole while significantly high pressure was maintained to avoid decompression sickness and a return of the water. The rescue operations were led by several groups of experts, the medical team led by Dr. Wünsche, an aviation medic. The miners received games, cameras (copies of the photos were returned to them) and a special diet. Various communication channels to friends and loved ones were established. After their rescue on 1 November, rescue equipment was moved off-site, as there seemed to be no hope for the remaining men. A memorial church service for the missing men was already scheduled for the 4th of November.

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Wikipedia