The rescue scene in Pingyi, East China's Shandong province. [Ju Chuanjiang and Zhao Ruixue/China Daily]

Who are the rescuers

The rescue workers are from the province's seven mine rescue specialist organizations.

They have experienced special hardships over the past more than 30 days, battling against cold.

More than 30 members of search-and-rescue teams have been living at the accident scene for a month, with many of them sleeping in their cars or tents.

Rescue workers only slept two hours every day, said Zhang Hongkun, director of engineer department with Order Group.

Liu Changyong, a project manager with Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology &Mineral Resources, has been awake for two days, while supervising the welding work at the site.

"When the ascending tunnel was about to get through, we were so anxious," he said. "Many experts had tears in their eyes when it finally got through."

Meng Qingjun, 43-year-old, whose eyes have been red for days, was called up seven times in one night. He and his teammates haven't changed clothes for two weeks.

"I didn't change my clothes for two weeks, and was once woken up 7 times in a night to check on the drilling process," Meng said. "We were racing against time and fighting the tough environment. Many people got sick."

Jiang Tianlong, 32-year-old, has been welding pipes day and night. He finished 19 pipes on Thursday.

Lei Jiandong, a member of rescue team with China Coal Geology Engineering Corporation, got blisters all over his mouth. He hasn't had a whole night's sleep since Jan 6 when he entered the site to drill a back-up rescue hole.

To save the miners' lives, efforts have been made both at the frontline by the rescuers and by their families, who have sent clothes and medicines to rescuers, a team member told China Daily.

Guan Zhengfeng, former director of Guanzhuang village, offered to boil water for rescuers. The 68-year-old boiled 200 buckets of water every day for 30 days. Five of the 11 miners from his village were trapped underground.