For more than 24 hours, thirty-nine workers have been trapped underground at the Totten Mine mine in eastern Canada – west of Sudbury, Ontario – following an accident that blocked access to the main exit Sunday afternoon. According to the reconstructions, a piece of heavy equipment, a bucket used to transport material underground, would have detached and collided with the elevator that carried the miners out of the mine, confining them to a depth between 900 and 1200 meters.
Fortunately, reports the company that owns the mine, the Brazilian “Vale”, it seems that none of the men were injured, since at the time of the accident all of them went to the shelter stations, following the standard procedures for emergency cases. . The worst was also averted thanks to the fact that “No one was on board the main transport system when the accident occurred,” company spokeswoman Danica Pagnutti told Radio Canada.
Already on Monday evening, some had started the ascent towards the exit, almost halfway there, but many others remained waiting for support. Rescue operations are now underway, “The teams have reached the miners and are starting to move them via a secondary exit ladder system,” the company said in a statement. But while some miners will be able to climb stairs, older or tired workers will be hauled up using ropes. “They’ve been underground for nearly 36 hours now,” Shawn Rideout of Ontario Mine Rescue told CTV News, “and for some who are physically unable to climb, we’ll use ropes to hoist them, level by level.” “. All thirty-nine have already received food, water and medical care, and are expected to return to the surface by tonight.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed closeness to the workers in a tweet: “We understand this bailout will take some time and we are very relieved to know that the miners are currently unharmed.”
Our thoughts are with the 39 miners trapped underground in #Sudbury as rescue teams work to get them safely above ground.
We understand this rescue will take some time and are very relieved to hear the miners are currently uninjured.https://t.co/IpmCwnN1ZP
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) September 27, 2021
In the meantime, all operations in the mine are stopped and “Vale” has indicated that it will be necessary to conduct an assessment before resuming production. Kalem McSween, a spokesman for the provincial labor ministry, said via email that an inspection team will investigate the incident once the relief efforts are concluded. United Steelworkers, a union that represents 30 of the 39 trapped miners, is cautiously optimistic that all will be evacuated safely.
The Totten Mine, which had been unused since 1972, was later reopened in 2014 after the company completed the necessary works, becoming the first mine to open in the area in 40 years. Production includes copper, nickel and precious metals and involves a staff of around 200 people.