The search for 10 miners missing from three flooded coal pits in northeastern Mexico over three weeks could take six to 11 months, the families said Thursday, saying they are “desperate.”
They have no evidence of life of the miners underground since August 3. Authorities never mentioned his death and say they continue to carry out rescue operations, although the fatal outcome seems inevitable.
“We are desperate. We do not know what to do. We cannot accept this,” said Juani Cabriales, the sister of one of the miners trapped underground at the El Pinabete mine.
Five workers escaped from the influx of water
“We expected it to take a month. But almost a year is not possible. There must be other solutions,” added Guadalupe Cabriales, also the sister of a disappeared miner. The families had just met the head of civil protection, Laura Velázquez, who explained the authorities’ plan to them.
The flooding of the mine occurred during excavation work which caused an influx of accumulated water into a nearby mine. Five workers were able to escape.
Several accidents have devastated this region, the most important of which took place on February 19, 2006: 65 workers died in an explosion in a coal mine. Only two bodies had been recovered.
Source: BFM TV
