More than an hour had passed.
It seemed like an eternity had gone by since we learned of the disaster.
Time dragged agonizingly slowly, stretching out like an endless thread between the desperate cries of the workers, the dull, rhythmic blows of the pickaxes echoing in our ears, and the alarming, almost lifelike hum from the depths of the mine.
The dust, thick and suffocating, settled on our clothes, hair, and eyelashes, clogging our nostrils and throats, but no one paid any attention to it.
Everyone was too absorbed in the struggle for life, for pulling those who remained inside out from under the rubble. The air was saturated with the smell of dampness and sweat mixed with the metallic taste of ore, and the light from the torches flickered, casting long, trembling shadows on the walls.
