3 workers trapped in Canadian mines had air, food and water as rescuers tried to enter them
Vancouver, British Columbia (AP) – Three workers were still trapped in gold and copper mines in western Canada on Thursday as remotely controlled spoons began to remove debris from rock falls to get their chance, a mining company said in a statement.
The rock piles are 20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 feet) long and 7 to 8 meters (22 to 26 feet) high. Workers were trapped Tuesday after two rocks occurred at the Red Chris Mine in northern British Columbia.
Newmont Corp. said workers had enough air, food and water for long stays, although communications after the second cave were cut off.
The company’s statement said special drones have been dispatched to assess the geotechnical technical conditions under the mine. The statement said the team is restoring a professional communication system to try to re-communicate with workers.
“It is understood that workers are in shelter in a near shelter designed to support 16 people.
Production at the mine has been suspended while rescue work continues.
The mine is mostly open pits, but Newmont said in an earlier statement that the development of underground block cave mining began in 2019, four years after the mine’s first production date.
The company said the three trapped workers were business partner employees, two from British Columbia and one from Ontario. When the first rock fell, they worked over 500 meters (more than a quarter mile) and were asked to move to a shelter before the second rock fell.
“After the first event, contacts were established with individuals and confirmed that they had safely moved to one of several independent shelters,” the company statement said.
