mine accident
Attempt to rescue trapped miners in Mexico: diver penetrates flooded coal shaft
Rescue workers at the scene of the accident in Mexico
© AFP
Ten miners have been stuck in a coal mine in Mexico for over a week. Hundreds of soldiers and rescue workers try to save the workers. Now a first diver has entered the flooded coal shaft.
During a rescue operation for the ten miners who had been trapped in a coal mine in Mexico for a week, a rescue diver briefly entered the flooded shaft for the first time. The soldier, equipped with an oxygen bottle, was lowered into the mine in a metal basket on Wednesday, but came back up after a short time.
The governor of the state of Coahuila, Miguel Riquelme, said on Twitter that the diver “encountered obstacles” in the shaft. In order for the emergency services to be able to continue the search and rescue work, more water must be pumped out of the tunnel.
Mexico: Miners trapped in coal mine for a week
There was a collapse in the coal mine in Agujita on Wednesday last week, and a 60-meter-deep tunnel filled with water. Three people were rescued after the mine accident and hospitalized, the Mexican Ministry of Security said. Hundreds of soldiers and other rescue workers are involved in the rescue operation. They are equipped with 25 pumps and two underwater drones. Search dogs are also used.
Coahuila is Mexico’s most important coal region. Mining accidents have repeatedly occurred there in recent years. In 2006, an explosion at the Pasta de Conchos mine killed 65 people. Last year, seven miners died in another accident.