- Title: CHILE: New cave-in blocks miner rescue bid
- Date: 8th August 2010
- Summary: COPIAPO, CHILE (AUGUST 7, 2010) (REUTERS) SAN JOSE MINE WHERE 34 MINERS ARE TRAPPED RESCUERS LOOKING AT MAP RELATIVES GATHERED NEAR MINE ENTRANCE RESCUERS AT MINE ENTRANCE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TELLING RELATIVES ABOUT COLLAPSE VARIOUS OF RELATIVES ANGUISHED AND CRYING AFTER HEARING ABOUT COLLAPSE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LAURENCE GOLBORNE, MINING MINISTER, SAYING: "The
- Embargoed: 23rd August 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Chile
- Country: Chile
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVAEXPRXLZFNKU96I64PL6S2L4YU
- Story Text: A bid to save 34 miners trapped deep inside a small mine in northern Chile hit a major setback on Saturday (August 7), when a fresh cave-in blocked rescuers and relatives started to lose hope after an anxious two-day wait.
No contact has yet been made with the trapped miners since the collapse on Thursday at the small gold and copper mine near the northern city of Copiapo. Officials hope they managed to reach an underground shelter with oxygen and water.
However some family members fear the miners are running out of air, or were possibly even buried by the new collapse in the ventilation shaft rescue workers were using to reach them.
Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, his voice cracking, said rescuers would have to find another way in, which would eat up more valuable time more than two days into the crisis.
"The most viable option was to go through the chimney. This chimney was damaged, fractured, during the collapse. Obviously, that isn't the fastest option nor the most convenient and we need to find a Plan B and a Plan C," Golborne said, as miners' families gathered at the mine cried out.
Anguished relatives, who spent the night at the mouth of the mine praying in a vigil, wailed when they heard the news.
"It's sad because it's not what we expected. We trusted that there was another alternative but we see that the alternatives of getting relatives out alive are now closed."
"I'm sad, because it is not what we were expecting," said Wilson Avalos, 38, whose two nephews are trapped in the mine, which lies 450 miles (725 km) north of the capital, Santiago.
"We were confident that the outcome would be different but we see that the options of getting relatives out alive are now closed."
The workers are trapped around 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) inside the winding mine, and are around 900 feet (300 meters) vertically underground.
President Sebastian Pinera cut short an official visit to Colombia, and was expected to head to the mine upon his return on Saturday evening to be with the families.
The accident shut down the mine, one of three adjacent sites producing a combined 1,200 metric tonnes of refined copper annually.
The closure is not expected to hurt copper output in Chile, the world's No.1 copper producer. Major mining accidents are uncommon in the country, because authorities keep strict controls over operations.
Local union official Felix Medina said conditions at many smaller mines in the area are precarious. He said the mine, which employs 150 people, has a recent history of accidents, with 13 fatalities on site and three deaths on the winding road to Copiapo.
The mine lacks escape routes and was closed in 2005 by workers because of bad conditions, he added. It was reopened two years ago. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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