A rescue operation is underway at Red Chris gold mine in Northwest B.C. according to B.C.'s premier, David Eby.
"There are three miners that are currently trapped underground. They are, to the best of our knowledge, uninjured and in a refuge area," the premier said during closing remarks at the Council of Federation First Ministers conference in Huntsville, Ont. this morning.
"The company is working with our world-leading mining rescue teams. BC miners are the best in the world. Our rescue teams are exceptional, and they will be working overtime to bring these workers home safely to their families," he added.
Newmont, the global gold mining company that owns the mine, said in a statement that the miners—two from B.C. and one from Ontario—were trapped by two "fall of ground incidents" that occurred in the access way to the underground work area of a project at the mine.
“At the time of the initial incident, three business partner employees were working more than 500 meters beyond the affected zone and were asked to relocate to a designated refuge station before a subsequent fall of ground blocked the access way," the statement said.
The company received confirmation that the workers were safely in the refuge bay before the second incident cut off communication, but Newmont says the refuge bays are equipped with adequate food, water and ventilation to support an extended stay.
A statement from the B.C. minister of mining, Jagrup Brar, said Newmont is leading the rescue operation.
“We are aware of the incident at Red Chris Mine in Northwestern B.C. and are working closely with the mine operator to support them," he said. "Our thoughts are with the workers, their families and co-workers, and we will do everything we can to support the company’s efforts to ensure the affected workers are brought to safety as soon as possible."
Brar is currently on a tour of northwest mining operations and was scheduled to visit Red Chris tomorrow. That visit has been cancelled "so that everyone can focus on the issue at hand," said a spokesperson for the ministry.
