Ten miners have been trapped underground in northeastern Mexico since last Wednesday after three coal pits collapsed under the pressure of a flood. According to the authorities, they are trapped in wells 60 meters deep.
The rescue operations mobilize 383 people, the government said, including 260 rescuers from different bodies (Army, Navy, National Guard) who have been sent as reinforcements. A hundred relatives also sleep near the area cordoned off by the security forces to allow the work of the rescuers.
mine water pumping
“It is essential to reduce the water level (in the mine) to allow the safe entry of search and rescue specialists,” explained the civil protection coordinator, Laura Velázquez.
To do this, the emergency services introduced submersible pumps in the mine to reduce the level of flooding, which was 34 meters during the accident.
“More than 300 liters per second are pumped (…) and we are in a hurry to remove the water so that the rescuers can enter,” said President López Obrador, who called this Sunday to increase efforts.
An operation with an underwater drone no earlier than the middle of the week
Mexican authorities announced Monday they were preparing an underwater drone operation to allow rescue divers to enter the flooded coal mine.
Laura Velázquez explained that the device has a high-resolution camera and a light that can record up to 250 meters deep, so divers can identify possible obstacles “without endangering” the lives of rescuers.
These announcements have caused agitation among the relatives of the miners, who hope that this inspection will speed up emergency access. But according to the plan presented by the army, the immersion, through a well, will not take place before the middle of the week. According to these estimates, the level of flooding to allow access would be 1.5 meters, compared to the current 19.4 meters of water.
Five miners already out of the mine
The accident occurred last Wednesday around 1:30 p.m., when the miners found, while excavating, an area full of water whose collapse caused the flood. Five miners have already managed to get out. Two of them were able to leave the hospital, according to authorities.
It is a very dangerous artisanal mine, according to experts, located 1,130 km north of the capital of Mexico, in the state of Coahuila, which contributes all the national coal production.
“The miners dig a shaft two meters in diameter and continue digging until they find coal,” metallurgical engineer Guillermo Iglesias told local radio.
This type of infrastructure does not protect workers from cave-ins, unlike the protections that exist in an industrial mine, he added.
Several mining tragedies in the region
The state of Coahuila, which produces 99% of Mexico’s coal, is used to mining tragedies. In June 2021, seven workers died after an underground collapse in the Múzquiz area.
An accident is etched in our memory: 65 miners died on February 19, 2006 during the explosion of a gas pocket at the Pasta de Conchos mine, controlled by the Grupo México conglomerate. Sixteen years later, 63 of the 65 bodies are still lying at the bottom of the mine.
Families have “demanded measures” against accidents for 16 years “and their appeals have not been heard,” lamented the Society of Jesus, which affirms that the Jesuits accompany the relatives in their request for justice before the international authorities.
Source: BFM TV
