The operation came a day after workers plugged a highly radioactive water leak from a concrete pit connected to the number two reactor, using sodium silicate - known as ''water glass''.
The miner currently being treated in hospital had walked from the pit to tell rescuers of dragging and swimming through the water to the mine entrance.
As with so many collieries, the men were laid off and the pit was put on "care and maintenance" which meant keeping it free from noxious gases and seeping water so that it could be reopened if the industry picked up.