Sudbury
33 of 39 miners stuck in Vale mine in northern Ontario are now out, rest expected by midday
Elevator system at Totten Mine was damaged Sunday afternoon, leaving miners trapped
CBC News · Posted: Sep 28, 2021
Update on mine rescue operation in Worthington, Ont.
Most of the miners who were trapped underground at the Totten Mine in Worthington, Ont., near Sudbury, are now back on the surface, says Shawn Rideout of Ontario Mine Rescue. The operation continues to free those still underground. 7:07
Thirty-three of the 39 miners trapped underground at a mine in northern Ontario have climbed to the surface, and the rest are expected to join them by midday Tuesday.
The workers have been stuck in Totten Mine near Sudbury since Sunday afternoon, when an accident damaged the elevator, known as a cage, that normally carries them in and out of the mine.
The workers were stuck at levels of between about 914 and 1,219 metres underground. Toronto's CN Tower, in comparison, is about 550 metres in height.
Mining company Vale announced on Monday night it was "relieved and delighted to see these individuals returning to surface safe and sound."
Vale spokesperson Danica Pagnutti spoke to one of the miners.
"He was in good spirits and happy to have some pizza to take home and just looking forward to getting home to his family and relaxing, but generally in really good spirits," she said.
"The miners are all healthy and eager to go home."
'Light at the end of the tunnel'
Shawn Rideout, who is co-ordinating the rescue effort for Ontario Mine Rescue (OMR), said there's "light at the end of the tunnel" as he expects to have the remaining six on the surface by 11 a.m. ET Tuesday.
"We are taking it slow so that we're not pushing anybody past their energy level," Rideout said. "At this point, they've been underground for more than 48 hours, so we are taking it slow."
The trapped miners are climbing up a series of ladders, some from as far down as 1,200 metres. They will be assisted by OMR officers, one for every miner, and met by medical staff when they reach the surface.
The miners who have already been brought to surface are in good spirits, Rideout said.
"Everybody's doing fine here ... the workers come up, they are obviously happy to see the sunshine. but it's smiles all around and everything's progressing very well."
Elevator system at Totten Mine was damaged Sunday afternoon, leaving miners trapped
CBC News · Posted: Sep 28, 2021
Update on mine rescue operation in Worthington, Ont.
Most of the miners who were trapped underground at the Totten Mine in Worthington, Ont., near Sudbury, are now back on the surface, says Shawn Rideout of Ontario Mine Rescue. The operation continues to free those still underground. 7:07
Thirty-three of the 39 miners trapped underground at a mine in northern Ontario have climbed to the surface, and the rest are expected to join them by midday Tuesday.
The workers have been stuck in Totten Mine near Sudbury since Sunday afternoon, when an accident damaged the elevator, known as a cage, that normally carries them in and out of the mine.
The workers were stuck at levels of between about 914 and 1,219 metres underground. Toronto's CN Tower, in comparison, is about 550 metres in height.
Mining company Vale announced on Monday night it was "relieved and delighted to see these individuals returning to surface safe and sound."
Vale spokesperson Danica Pagnutti spoke to one of the miners.
"He was in good spirits and happy to have some pizza to take home and just looking forward to getting home to his family and relaxing, but generally in really good spirits," she said.
"The miners are all healthy and eager to go home."
'Light at the end of the tunnel'
Shawn Rideout, who is co-ordinating the rescue effort for Ontario Mine Rescue (OMR), said there's "light at the end of the tunnel" as he expects to have the remaining six on the surface by 11 a.m. ET Tuesday.
"We are taking it slow so that we're not pushing anybody past their energy level," Rideout said. "At this point, they've been underground for more than 48 hours, so we are taking it slow."
The trapped miners are climbing up a series of ladders, some from as far down as 1,200 metres. They will be assisted by OMR officers, one for every miner, and met by medical staff when they reach the surface.
The miners who have already been brought to surface are in good spirits, Rideout said.
"Everybody's doing fine here ... the workers come up, they are obviously happy to see the sunshine. but it's smiles all around and everything's progressing very well."
Mon., September 27, 2021,
Vale says it is rescuing 39 employees stuck underground in its Totten Mine in Greater Sudbury in northern Ontario. (Vale - image credit)
Thirty-nine Vale employees have been trapped underground in the Totten Mine in Sudbury, Ont., since Sunday, the company says.
The workers are safe and are currently mobilizing to exit the mine via a secondary egress ladder system, the company said in a news release.
Vale said there was an "incident" at its mine in the western reaches of Greater Sudbury on Sunday afternoon that took the conveyance for transporting employees offline.
The 39 employees working underground at that time immediately went to a refuge station.
Vale said it has been in constant communication with the employees and is doing everything it can to ensure their safety.
More than 24 hours after an incident at a northern Ontario mine trapped them underground, the first of the dozens of miners began returning to the surface late Monday.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
An official with mining company Vale, Gord Gilpin, said in a statement that they were "relieved and delighted to see these individuals returning to surface safe and sound.''
Vale had said earlier in the day that a rescue team had reached the 39 workers, who were in several different ``refuges'' between 900 and 1,200 metres underground at Totten Mine, located about 40 kilometres west of Sudbury, Ont.
No one was injured, and Vale said it expected all 39 employees to return to surface in the coming hours.
The company said the workers became stuck after a scoop bucket being transported underground on Sunday detached and became hung up in the shaft, rendering normal conveyance for transporting employees unavailable.
The employees could still get out, the company said, but it meant they faced a long climb up a secondary egress ladder system with support of Vale's mine rescue team.
The company said the trapped miners had access to food, water and medicine. A spokesman for the United Steelworkers said that some of the trapped miners needed insulin.
Kalem McSween, a spokesman for the province's Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, said in an email that an inspection team will investigate the incident once the rescue operation is finished.
An official with mining company Vale, Gord Gilpin, said in a statement that they were "relieved and delighted to see these individuals returning to surface safe and sound.''
Vale had said earlier in the day that a rescue team had reached the 39 workers, who were in several different ``refuges'' between 900 and 1,200 metres underground at Totten Mine, located about 40 kilometres west of Sudbury, Ont.
No one was injured, and Vale said it expected all 39 employees to return to surface in the coming hours.
The company said the workers became stuck after a scoop bucket being transported underground on Sunday detached and became hung up in the shaft, rendering normal conveyance for transporting employees unavailable.
The employees could still get out, the company said, but it meant they faced a long climb up a secondary egress ladder system with support of Vale's mine rescue team.
The company said the trapped miners had access to food, water and medicine. A spokesman for the United Steelworkers said that some of the trapped miners needed insulin.
Kalem McSween, a spokesman for the province's Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, said in an email that an inspection team will investigate the incident once the rescue operation is finished.
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