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<\/p>\nIt was a \u201ceuphoric\u201d moment as three drilling company workers were brought to safety after spending more than 60 hours trapped underground in a mine in a remote area of northwestern British Columbia, their employer said Friday.<\/p>\n
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The workers who had been sheltering in a steel refuge 284 metres below ground emerged after a complex, high-stakes rescue mission involving drones, a remote-controlled scoop machine and a special protected rescue vehicle.<\/p>\n
Hy-Tech Drilling\u2019s president Dwayne Ross thanked everyone involved in the rescue effort at the Red Chris mine, where the workers surfaced at around 10:40 p.m. Thursday.<\/p>\n
He told a news briefing that the men \u2014 Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke and Jesse Chubaty \u2014 would soon be back in Smithers, B.C., where Hy-Tech is based.<\/p>\n
Bernard Wessels, the global safety chief for the mine\u2019s operator, Newmont Corp., said there were \u201cgoosebumps and happiness\u201d when the contractors escaped the gold and copper mine, about 500 kilometres northwest of Terrace, B.C.<\/p>\n
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The men \u201cheld hope and strength through their every moment,\u201d he told the briefing.<\/p>\n
The men were to be reunited with their families on Friday, Wessels said.<\/p>\n
A statement from Newmont said the workers were in \u201cgood physical and mental condition\u201d when they were found.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a precaution, they were taken for medical evaluations and offered access to counselling,\u201d it said, adding that reuniting the workers with their families was the immediate focus.<\/p>\n
Hy-Tech issued a statement Friday including a photo of the three men standing with Ross and a company director in front of the helicopter taking them home.<\/p>\n
\u201cBringing our team safely back to surface was a moment of immense relief,\u201d Ross said in the statement.<\/p>\n
The trio had been trapped by two \u201cfalls of ground\u201d that blocked an access tunnel.<\/p>\n
Wessels described the remote-controlled machine used in the operation as \u201cbig, big pieces of equipment,\u201d with the scoop clearing a path to allow the rescue vehicle to pass through a blockage about 20 metres long.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith the area stabilized, the emergency response team advanced across the impacted zone using equipment with an engineered falling object protect system,\u201d he said, referring to an enclosure on a vehicle used in dangerous locations.<\/p>\n
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\u201cUpon reaching the refuge chamber, the team found Kevin, Darien, and Jesse in stable condition. Together with the emergency response team, they returned to (the) surface using the same protective equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the men walked on their own to the rescue vehicle and they were taken out one by one.<\/p>\n
Wessels said the response showed that \u201csafety protocols work,\u201d adding the men did \u201cexactly what they were trained to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first fall of ground had occurred at 7:47 a.m. Tuesday, prompting the men to retreat to the refuge equipped with air, food and water, before the second, bigger fall around 10:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Wessels said the refuge was about 700 metres from where both falls occurred.<\/p>\n
He said the men were found in \u201chealthy spirits,\u201d telling rescuers they had managed to catch up on their sleep.<\/p>\n
Newmont, based in Denver, Colo., said in a statement that the outcome was a \u201cresult of tireless collaboration, technical expertise, and above all, safety and care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe extend our heartfelt gratitude to the rescue teams and all those involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
No prior fall-of-ground events had occurred in the tunnel where the men became trapped, the company said, adding it had been subjected to routine inspections.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis incident was highly localized and unexpected\u201d the statement said. \u201cA full investigation will be conducted to determine the root cause and share learnings with the broader industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wessels told Friday\u2019s briefing that the mine doesn\u2019t have a history of geotechnical instability and the fall-of-ground incidents occurred in a \u201cvery localized area.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one caught us by surprise and we need to go and understand that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The mine is subject to daily and monthly inspections, as well as \u201csecond line of defence\u201d inspections by external observers, Wessels said.<\/p>\n
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