Rescue officials in Canada are working to free three miners who are trapped underground in northern British Columbia (BC) after a mine collapse using a remote-controlled scoop.
The trio were said to be trapped by a pile of debris 20m to 30m (65ft to 100ft) long and 7m to 8m high, after part of the Red Chris mine on Tahltan Nation territory collapsed.
Officials said the miners at Red Chris, located roughly 260 miles (420km) west of the town of Fort Nelson, had access to enough supplies for an extended stay.
Mining firm Newmont said that, although the crew had enough air, food and water for now, it lost communication with them on Wednesday after a second cave-in.
In a news update on Thursday evening, it said the priorities are re-establishing communications with the three workers, who have been trapped since Tuesday morning, drillers and assessing the safest way to clear the debris.
It also said natural air is flowing to the refuge area where workers are trapped.
Specialized drones have been deployed to assess the area underground at the mine, the company said in a statement, as teams work to restore communication.
“The workers are understood to be sheltering in a MineARC refuge chamber designed to support 16 people. Additional refuge chambers are also available nearby and accessible if required,” the statement said.
An area of ground in the mine collapsed the previous day near an area in which the group were working, mine operator Newmont Corp said in a statement.
The miners were able to move to a sealed area underground, before a second collapse further blocked their movement, Newmont said.
“At the time of the initial incident, three business partner employees were working more than 500 meters beyond the affected zone and were asked to relocate to a designated refuge station before a subsequent fall of ground blocked the access way,” Newmont said.
Newmont identified the workers as Darien Maduke, from BC, Kevin Coumbs, from Ontario, and Jesse Chubaty, of Manitoba. The three are contractors for Hy-Tech Drilling, a BC-based drilling firm.
The mine in which the three are trapped is an open-pit copper and gold mine, which was constructed in 2014.
Production at the mine has been suspended as the rescue operation unfolds.