How Instant Coffee Saved Two People’s Lives
Two miners in South Korea were able to survive for 9 days on packets of instant coffee due to the fat, carbohydrates, and other essential nutrients it contained.
People’s favorite hot drink, coffee, is known as a pick-me-up to many around the globe, but no one knew it could actually save people’s lives. Every day millions of people drink coffee in the morning, at home, and at work. It is classed as a social drink that brings people together. But now, it seems coffee can add life-saving drink to its repertoire.
In the northeast region of Bonghwa, South Korea, two miners were working in a zinc mine when a landslide trapped them within a shaft. They were trapped nearly 200 meters below ground level and could not escape. Due to how quickly the incident happened, they had hardly any water and no food with them. They resounded to drink water droplets falling from the shaft’s ceiling.
But what the miners did have with them was over thirty packets of instant coffee powder, luckily. Within the instant coffee mix, there is a variety of different food groups and nutrients such as sugar, cream, carbohydrate, and fat. They used the water from the shaft’s ceiling to mix the instant coffee and drink it. All these varieties of nutrients gave the miners much-needed energy to keep themselves alive until they were rescued.
The miners were stuck within the shaft for nine days after the accident occurred. Emergency rescue workers had to drill a hole through the rubble so they could insert a camera to locate the two miners. There were many failed attempts at locating both men before they were eventually found nine days later.
When they were found, they were sitting together under a plastic cover fashioned like a tent, and they had prepared a fire to keep warm. They were determined to stay alive and keep in good health during their time in the shaft. Not long after, they were pulled from the rubble.
When they were rescued, they seemed in good condition, which surprised the rescue workers and doctors. They were admitted to a nearby hospital, where they recovered quickly.
It is an extraordinary story that people are calling a miracle and comes after 156 people in Seoul, South Korea’s capital city, died in a terrible crowd crush last week, which rocked the nation and the world.
One of the miners stated that he has had a series of nightmares since the ordeal but that it has been a clarifying time mentally. He feels like he is only experiencing the world for the first time after his near-death experience.
While the miners seemed quite resourceful, having made a temporary tent and a fire, without having the instant coffee sachets with them, they would have been in a lot worse health as in situations like this; it is essential for the body to be hydrated. The extra nutrients within the coffee would give the body enough energy to think straight and find the important items they need. The coffee companies will be elated with the good publicity from such an incredible ordeal, and no doubt, coffee sales will rise temporarily.
