Cage ‘unavailable’ at Vale mine Wednesday, workers not brought to surface until Thursday

Sudbury miners stuck underground overnight An investigation is underway after more than 100 workers at a Vale mine in Sudbury were stuck underground overnight.

A cage used to transport workers at Vale’s Creighton Mine “was unavailable” Wednesday afternoon, meaning 109 workers had to spend part of the night underground.

The incident took place around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

In an email to CTV News, a Vale spokesperson said that “an incident occurred involving the cage.”

“No cable broke but the cage was unavailable for worker transportation,” Jonathan Laderoute said in an email Thursday evening.

“Following our safety protocols, all underground employees were directed to refuge stations while we prepared an alternate method of transportation. During this time, they had access to water, food and were in constant communication.”

Laderoute said the workers were able to surface beginning at 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

“We are pleased to report that earlier today all employees were safely brought to the surface,” Laderoute said.

“We will be completing a thorough investigation into the incident.”