During Newmont Corporation’s latest update on the ongoing rescue operations at Red Chris Mine, Bernard Wessels, Newmont’s Global Group Head for Health, Safety & Security, told reporters that rescue crews on-site will not rest until they’ve safely brought the three workers currently trapped underground back to the surface.
Wessels confirmed that no contact has been established with the trapped workers yet, and there has been no contact with them since the second collapse on Tuesday morning cut off comminutions between the surface and the refuge bay they took shelter in.
The MineARC refuge chamber is made of steel and specifically designed to protect mine workers from a rockfall or collapse. Wessels confirmed its stocked with enough supplies to last a group of 16 for 48 hours, and includes a device capable of producing oxygen. He said it should last a group of three much longer than that.
Specialized drones have since flown over the area conducting a geotechnical investigation. Wessels said their scans found no signs of further collapses within the mine beyond the initial 20 to 30 meter zone that initially blocked access to the underground work area.
A remote scoop brought in from Brucejack Mine has already started to clear away the debris blocking the entrance.
What caused the collapses that trapped the workers is not yet know, with Wessels stressing that the focus now needs to be on safely returning the workers to the surface, after which he says, specialists will conduct a thorough investigation.
Wessels also reiterated that the three workers were confirmed to have arrived uninjured at the refuge area around 600 meters away from the first collapse on Tuesday morning. They’ve been underground since 6:00am Tuesday, July 22nd, and were in the mine a little more than a hour prior to the first collapse.
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