Rescue teams worked Wednesday to reach three miners trapped underground at a British Columbia copper and gold mine after twin ground collapses blocked their escape route.
The miners — two from British Columbia and one from Ontario — were working Tuesday at the Red Chris mine when ground failures trapped them in an underground tunnel, according to mine operator Newmont Corp. (TSX: NGT) and British Columbia Premier David Eby.
“They are, to the best of our knowledge, uninjured and in a refuge area,” Eby said Wednesday during a news conference in Ontario.
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The workers took shelter in an underground refuge station equipped with food, water, and ventilation systems after the first ground collapse. A second collapse then blocked the tunnel and cut off communication with the surface.
Company officials said the underground emergency shelter has enough supplies for “an extended stay,” with the capacity to sustain about 16 people for three days and multiple refuge bays available to the trapped workers.
Newmont has suspended all operations at the Red Chris mine, located about 420 kilometers west of Fort Nelson on Tahltan Nation territory, to focus on rescue efforts. The company said it was assembling specialist teams from nearby mine sites.
The British Columbia government dispatched a geotechnical inspector to assist, and heavy equipment from a nearby mine was being transported to aid in the rescue operation.
“BC miners are the best in the world, our rescue teams are exceptional, and they will be working overtime to bring these workers home safely to their families,” Eby said.
The trapped workers are contractors involved in developing underground “block-cave” mining operations at the site, which has primarily operated as an open-pit mine since 2015.
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