Rescue operation underway for 3 miners trapped underground at northern B.C. mine
The workers are believed to be in a refuge chamber and uninjured, Premier David Eby says
B.C. Premier David Eby has confirmed three miners are trapped underground in a mine in northern B.C.
The miners work at the Red Chris mine on Tahltan Nation territory near Dease Lake, B.C., about 420 kilometres west of Fort Nelson, B.C.
"There was an accident," Eby said at a news conference at the First Ministers meeting in Huntsville, Ont., Wednesday morning. "There are three miners that are currently trapped underground. They are, to the best of our knowledge, uninjured and in a refuge area."
Eby initially said two of the workers are from B.C. and one is from Ontario, but their contractor, Hy-Tech Drilling, said Thursday that one is from B.C., one is from Ontario and one is from Manitoba.
Eby initially said the incident happened overnight, but the mine's operating company and majority owner, Colorado-based Newmont Corp., later confirmed it happened earlier in the day Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Newmont said there were "two fall-of-ground incidents" in the access way to an underground work area Tuesday morning.
The Red Chris mine is an open-pit copper and gold mine that has been operating since 2015.
"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 Newmont spokesperson said in a statement.
"Following the first event, contact was established with the individuals and confirmation was received that they had safely relocated to one of multiple self-contained refuge bays. The refuge stations are equipped with adequate food, water and ventilation to support an extended stay."
The second fall of ground event restricted communication, so a "standdown of operations" at Red Chris is now in place to focus on the response, according to the company.
"All appropriate emergency response protocols were activated immediately. Newmont is actively assessing all methods and technologies available to restore communication and safely bring our team members to surface," the spokesperson said.
"Our priority remains on ensuring the safety of the three individuals and of the emergency response teams supporting this effort."
A subsequent statement from Hy-Tech Drilling, a Smithers-based company that works with mining companies around the world, confirmed the three contractors were that company's employees.
It said that it would not be releasing the miners' names out of respect for their privacy.
Eby said Newmont is working with "our world-leading mining rescue teams."
"B.C. 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," the premier said.
Miners around 600 metres inside tunnel: source
A source with direct knowledge of the mine and the rescue operation said the first fall of ground happened 200 metres into a lateral tunnel underground.
The source said the miners were 400 metres beyond that, meaning they were around 600 metres inside the tunnel.
According to the source, there has been no contact with the miners since the second fall of ground, but it did not impact the area where the three miners sought refuge.
The source said there were multiple self-contained refuge bays in the area, with each having enough supplies to sustain 16 people for three days.
Workers were boring a hole underground, says union VP
The trapped workers are not members of the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937, which represents about 450 Red Chris workers, according to local vice-president Nolan Paquette.
Paquette said the three workers currently trapped are contractors who are boring a hole to start up "block-cave operations" at the mine within the next three years.
The open pit mine, which is above ground, is transitioning to underground mining using "block caving," a technique that involves digging underground to target the ore from below, according to a Newmont communications video on the company's website.
He described a "fall of ground" incident as when a slab of top wall or side wall falls and blocks a path with rocks.
He said the refuge stations likely have supplies for at least one week.
Paquette said he has not encountered a situation like this at any other mine he's worked with.
"This is a first for me," he said.
He added he hopes for the best for the workers and their families.
"It's always unnerving. You always want to make sure everybody is safe.... You always feel for anybody in this type of situation."
Paquette said the Red Chris open pit operation has about 1,000 workers at camp.
The Red Chris mine is one of the projects that B.C. announced it would be fast-tracking in response to the U.S. tariff threat.
However, in an open letter to the Tahltan Nation from Newmont on Feb. 8, the company said the government's prioritization of the project would not change the company's approach.
"Newmont fully respects that for consent to be given, the process must allow for meaningful deliberation and consideration by Tahltan to enable an informed and thoughtful decision," the letter reads.
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With files from Michelle Eliot, Jessica Cheung and BC Today