After being trapped underground when an elevator system was damaged Sunday afternoon, 33 of 39 miners trapped underground have reached the surface, and the rest are expected to join them by midday Tuesday.
Mining company Vale said a scoop bucket being sent underground Sunday afternoon detached, blocking the mine shaft at the Totten Mine, west of Sudbury, Ontario, according to CBC Canada News.
That meant 39 employees were trapped in several different “refuges” between 900 and 1,200 meters underground, where they had access to food, water, and medicine. An exit by a secondary egress ladder system was used, according to the mining company, to get the miners to the surface.
On Tuesday, Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger told CTV News Channel, “The remaining employees are expected to be on the surface later this morning. The employees that have returned to the surface are in good health and eager to return home.”
A statement from the United Steelworkers, the union that represents 30 of the 39 workers trapped in the mine, said it was cautiously optimistic that all would be safely evacuated. “We understand this rescue will take some time and are very relieved to hear the miners are currently uninjured,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Twitter.
Totten Mine opened in 2014 in Worthington, Ontario—the first mine to open in the area in 40 years, according to the company’s website. The mine produces copper, nickel, and precious metals and employs about 200 people.
