Three drillers are safe after being trapped for over 60 hours at Newmont’s Red Chris mine in northern B.C. The workers were successfully brought to the surface Thursday night, Newmont reported.
The drillers, identified as Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke, and Jesse Chubaty, had consistent access to food, water, and ventilation in a refuge chamber after two rockfalls cut off access Tuesday morning.
Newmont confirmed a path was cleared through the original access tunnel to reach the trapped miners. BC’s Ministry of Mines are to conduct investigation. The mine safety said they were able to determine a safe plan to the refuge chamber.
Newmont CEO Tom Palmer stated that learnings will be shared across the broader mining industry after the ordeal.
The remote-controlled scoop was used to remove some rock.
The mining site is located on Tahltan Nation territory, 420 km west of Fort Nelson, B.C. They are diamond drillers. Newmont began mining underground in 2019. They were half a kilometre past the affected zone before the first rock fell.
