thumb|Wunder von Lengede, illustration (1963) by [[Helmuth Ellgaard]]

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 of muddy water after a sedimentation pond had broken its ground and the tunnels between the and 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.

The float rescue

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 underway, due to the falling water level, they sent a message to the surface that they would try to escape on their own. Four foremen from above secretly took the initiative to meet the men halfway with a makeshift float and get them back to the surface.

The miners received games, cameras (copies of the photos were returned to them) and a special diet.

thumb|Dahlbusch Bomb mine rescue device

Media presence

The turn of events, with the various dramatic efforts to reach and rescue the survivors, attracted international media attention. There was stiff competition between the 365 press people and 83 journalists and technicians of TV and radio stations.

Others, especially press people, were less lucky. A French press journalist, Jean Yves Grandmange was beaten 5 times while attempting interviews.

This event, along with the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 10 years earlier, became a hallmark for early TV coverage of events with international interest. The rescue was the first significant news story to receive current daily "breaking news" television coverage, and it made watching the Tagesschau a sort of ritual in Western Germany.

In 1969, Rudolf Jugert made the first movie about the events ('). Several TV documentaries have been shot as well, such as Das Wunder von Lengede oder Ich wünsch' keinem was wir mitgemacht haben in 1979 by ZDF and Das Drama von Lengede, Protokoll einer Katastrophe in 2003 by WDR.

In 2003, a two-part television film titled Das Wunder von Lengede (or ') was produced by German television station Sat.1. The film was written by Benedikt Röskau based on the recollections of one of the rescued miners. It was directed by Kaspar Heidelbach and featured Heino Ferch, Jan Josef Liefers, Günther Maria Halmer, Heike Makatsch, Axel Prahl, Uwe Rohde, Armin Rohde, Klaus J. Behrendt and Thomas Heinze. It was first broadcast on 9–10 November 2003 and was televised in Sweden, among others.

The film won a Grimme Award in 2004.

The television series Thunderbirds (1965–1966), about a rescue organization, was inspired by this disaster.

See also

  • 2010 Copiapó mining accident
  • Beaconsfield Mine collapse

References

Further reading

  • Manfred Meier: Das Wunder von Lengede. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2003, .
  • link in German Das Unglück von Lengede Der Spiegel, 13 November 1963, nr. 46, Issue 17
  • Grubenunglück und Rettung 1963 (in German) Geschichts@tlas Niedersachsen - Information about the rescue mission
  • "Das Wunder von Lengede" (in German) nordmedia, 7 July 2009 - Information about the movie