Looking back to the 200-hour struggle in the dark, the miners say it's perseverance and faith in being rescued that pulled them through.

The faint tapping on Friday was what rescuers had been hoping for.

One of the workers tells how he used a bundle of wire to send the signal.

Rescued Worker Gong Changzhong said, "We heard the rescue workers knocking the pipeline and so I knocked back as a signal. From that moment, we knew that we would be saved."

Workers treated at Hejin People's hospital are also gradually gaining strength.

When the flood was unleashed, the water level in their pit surged. The team leader used explosives to blast a way out for the 60 men.

Rescued worker Su Zexi said, "Our team head blasted the blocked pit when the water was rising."

Su Zexi said their leader took them to a dry and well-ventilated place to rest, encouraging them to wait for the rescue.

Wang Jiming, who led his men to safety, is recovering in the neighboring ward.

Rescued Team leader Wang Jiming said, "I told them 'Don't panic and get flustered, or we can't get out.'"

The workers have had a brush with death, but their perseverance and experience, together with the rescue efforts, brought them out of the dark.