Three workers trapped underground after accident at B.C. mine

Three workers are trapped underground at the Red Chris Gold and Copper Mine in northwestern B.C. and its unclear when rescue crews will get to them.

A rescue effort has been launched for three workers trapped underground following an accident at the Red Chris mine in northwest B.C. Tuesday morning.

B.C. Premier David Eby said the mine’s owner, U.S.-based Newmont Corporation, is working with “world-leading mining rescue teams” to ensure the safe extraction of the employees.

“They are, to the best of our knowledge, uninjured and in a refuge area,” Eby said Wednesday, from the first ministers’ meeting in Ontario.

“Our rescue teams are exceptional and they will be working overtime to bring these miners home safely to their families.”

The Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals confirmed Newmont is leading the accident response, with support from the government.

The site is located in B.C.’s remote Stikine Region, approximately 350 kilometres south of the Yukon border.

The workers haven’t been publicly identified, but the premier said two are from B.C. and one is from Ontario.

“Obviously it’s very concerning for the families, for the workers in the sector, and all British Columbians and Canadians,” he said.

In a statement, a Newmont spokesperson said the miners became trapped following a “fall of ground incident” that happened in the access way to an underground work area at the Red Chris site Tuesday.

“Three business partner employees were working more than 500 metres beyond the affected zone, and were asked to relocate to a designated refuge station,” the spokesperson said, in an email.

While the workers were initially able to contact the company, a second ground fall incident cut off communications.

Newmont said it is assessing “all methods and technologies available” to reopen contact with the miners, and to get them back to the surface.

Operations at the Red Chris mine have been paused while the rescue effort is underway.

It’s unclear how long that effort could take. The Newmont spokesperson said the refuge stations are stocked with enough food, water and ventilation to “support an extended stay.”

Rescue could take weeks

Shawn Rideout, Chief Mine Rescue Officer with Workplace Safety North in Ontario, says the miners have what they need to last for weeks.

“There’s water, there’s food, and there’s compressed air feeding that refuge station so with that its all the basics you need to sustain life. So, they are good for a long time.”

Rideout adds it could be “weeks” until the miners are rescued.

“That’s the hard part for the public is understanding why it takes so long. But there’s a lot of things that have to be in place to make sure it is a safe and effective rescue.”

Rideout explains the miners losing communication does not affect their safety.

“When they’ve suffered damage like a fall of round, it wipes out those communication cables,” says Rideout.

“Phone lines, if they have Wi-Fi, it would take out those networks. That’s an inconvenience but it doesn’t jeopardize worker safety.”

He also says Newmont workers undergo substantial training, including how to prepare for emergencies like this.

“They have time and there’s a lot of experience within Newmont. I am confident they are going to execute this in a very safe and effective manor.”

‘Hard to Predict’

Scott Dunbar, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Mining Engineering, told CTV News ground falls are “often hard to predict.”

“A fall of ground is just what it sounds like – some rock separated from the tunnel or excavation wall and fell to the floor,” Dunbar said, in an email.

It’s unclear what caused Tuesday’s ground fall incidents, but common factors include rock mass failure, support system failure, and human activity such as drilling.

Mining Minister Jagrup Brar said the government is doing everything it can to support the company’s efforts, including dispatching a geotechnical inspector to the site to assist in the rescue.

“I’m heartened to see the immediate support that’s been provided from others across the mining industry, in the form of supplies, equipment and expertise to assist with this situation,” said Brar, in a statement.

B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation also expedited a permit allowing heavy equipment to be moved from the nearby Brucejack mine to help with the extraction, Brar said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Yasmin Gandham