Miners trapped underground for 60 hours at remote site in Canada. Now, good news
Three drilling workers have been rescued after spending more than 60 hours trapped underground at a Canadian mine.
Two “fall of ground incidents” occurred on the morning of July 22 at Red Chris Mine in British Columbia, according to a news release from mine operator Newmont Corporation.
The first collapse happened while three contractors with Hy-Tech Drilling — Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke and Jesse Chubaty — were working about 1,600 feet away, according to the release.
They made it to one of several MineARC refuge chambers, but a second collapse soon blocked the access tunnel with debris,the company said. The cave-in covered an area roughly 100 feet long and 26 feet high, trapping the workers and cutting off communication.
According to Newmont corporation, the designated safe area where the workers took refuge was not impacted by the collapse and was “stable and well-ventilated.”
“Following around-the-clock effort” and a “meticulously executed rescue plan,” the company’s specialized line-of-sight scoop cleared the debris from the access tunnel around 8:30 p.m. on July 24, according to the release. The three workers were brought to the surface two hours later.
“We are relieved to share that all three individuals are safe, and in good health and spirits,” Newmont said, adding that the workers “demonstrated the utmost dedication” to safety procedures.
“We will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident and will share the lessons learned transparently across the industry,” Newmont said in the release.
The Red Chris property, where copper and gold are mined, encompasses 23,142 hectares.
The property is in northwestern British Columbia, about 175-miles from Juneau, Alaska.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Miners trapped underground for 60 hours at remote site in Canada. Now, good news."
