Shanxi mine rescuer wins national award during Zambia competition

Huo Kaifeng, a 34-year-old team leader with the National Mine Emergency Rescue Shanxi Huayang Team, has been named a recipient of the 2026 New Era Youth Pioneer award for his contributions to industrial disaster response and equipment innovation.

The national honor, presented by the Communist Youth League Central Committee and the All-China Youth Federation ahead of May Fourth Youth Day, was awarded while Huo was deployed in Zambia representing China at the 14th International Mine Rescue Competition, which ran from April 26 through early May 2026.

The international event drew emergency response teams from nations including Zambia, India, the United States, Colombia and Canada to test technical competencies across underground navigation, firefighting, rope rescue and medical triage.

"Choosing a career in mine rescue means operating under the baseline principle that time is life," Huo said.

"The objective in international competition is to exchange field experience and elevate cross-border technical standards, because emergency rescue operations do not have national boundaries."

Huo's unit was formally integrated into China's national emergency response framework on Feb 10 of this year. The brigade traces its origins back to the 1952 Huayang Group Mine Rescue Team.