On July 25th, Newmont announced that the three workers who were trapped in a mine in northern British Columbia (BC) after a landslide occurred on July 22nd had been safely rescued. The rescue came about 60 hours after the incident.
The accident was announced by British Columbia Premier David Eby, who was attending the National Premiers’ Conference on the 23rd. “As far as we know, the three are uninjured and in the evacuation zone,” Eby said. The accident occurred at the Red Chris mine, about 420 kilometres west of Fort Nelson. The identities of the three trapped workers have not been released. Two were said to be from British Columbia and one was from Ontario, but one of the workers said to be from British Columbia was from Alberta.
According to a statement from Newmont, the mine’s operator, the collapse occurred twice, and the three people trapped during the first accident were working more than 500 meters away from the area where the collapse occurred.
It was confirmed that the three were safely moved to a shelter, but the second collapse restricted communication. However, the company explained that the shelter was equipped with sufficient food, water, and ventilation equipment to accommodate long-term stays.