39 Workers Trapped in Canadian Mine But Evacuation Underway – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

An operation was underway on Monday to evacuate 39 miners trapped underground for more than 24 hours after a mechanical problem blocked the entrance shaft to a mine in northern Ontario.

Mining company Vale said a rescue team reached the workers who were in several different “shelters” between 900 and 1,200 meters underground in the Totten Mine west of Sudbury, Ontario. Nobody was injured, the company said.

“We expect everyone to reach the surface by tonight,” Vale said in a statement.

A statement from United Steelworkers, the union that represents 30 of the 39 workers trapped in the mine, said they were cautiously optimistic that all would be safely evacuated.

The company said the miners had access to food, water and medicine.

Vale said the incident happened when a shovel bucket was dismantled on Sunday afternoon and blocked the mine shaft. As a result, the “conveyor system” cannot be used to transport workers to and from the surface.

“Employees will exit via a secondary escape ladder system with the assistance of Vale’s mine rescue team,” the company said.

Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said his thoughts were with the miners.

“We understand that this rescue will take some time and we are very relieved to hear that the miners are currently unharmed,” he said on Twitter.

The Totten Mine opened in Worthington, Ontario in 2014 – the first mine to open in the area in 40 years, according to the company’s website. The mine produces copper, nickel and precious metals and employs around 200 people.

Kalem McSween, a spokesman for the provincial Ministry of Labor, Education and Skills Development, said in an email that an inspection team will investigate the incident once the bailout is complete.

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