On Tuesday morning, a collapse caused three miners to be trapped behind a wall of debris and unable to escape.
Rescue efforts have since been launched to extricate the workers, although communication has become restricted after a second fall of ground incident.
RED CHRIS MINE
Located in northern B.C., Red Chris Mine is owned and operated by Newmont Corporation. In a statement, the company said, “On the morning of July 22, two fall of ground incidents occurred in the access way to the underground work area of a non-producing project at the Red Chris Mine in British Columbia, Canada.”
According to the statement, the workers became trapped after a “subsequent fall of ground blocked the access way.” They moved to a refuge station and contact was established, confirming that the miners were safe and equipped with food, water, and ventilation in the refuge bays.
RESCUE EFFORTS
A second fall of ground incident occurred, which then restricted further communication. “To ensure focus on the response efforts,” said the statement, “a standdown of operations at Red Chris has been implemented.”
Specialists are now being assembled to respond to the incident.
“Our priority remains on ensuring the safety of the three individuals and of the emergency response teams supporting this effort.”
This is a developing story.
