British Columbia (Richa Walia): Three workers trapped deep underground for over 60 hours at the Red Chris mine in northern British Columbia have been safely rescued and reunited with their families. The rescue operation, described as meticulously planned and executed, concluded late Thursday night after intense efforts to reach the drillers, who had been stranded since Tuesday morning due to two successive rockfalls.
Newmont Corp., the mine operator, confirmed the workers were brought to the surface at 10:40 p.m. PT. Identified by their employer Hy-Tech Drilling as Kevin Coumbs from Ontario, Darien Maduke from B.C., and Jesse Chubaty from Manitoba, the drillers were said to be in good health and high spirits. According to Bernard Wessels, Newmont’s head of safety, their return was a moment of immense relief for everyone involved. He added that the company is committed to supporting the workers, including offering counselling if needed.
The workers had initially managed to reach a steel refuge chamber after the first rockfall at 7:47 a.m. on Tuesday, before a second collapse at 10:30 a.m. severed all communication. The chamber, located roughly 284 metres below the surface, was stocked with sufficient air, food, and water to support up to 16 people, and played a crucial role in sustaining the men while rescue plans were made.
Rescue teams began debris excavation from the collapsed tunnel at 8 p.m. Thursday. The process involved assessing geotechnical stability using specialized drones and removing massive debris piles with a remote-controlled scoop. Once the path was cleared, a protected vehicle was sent underground to retrieve the workers one by one.
Wessels praised the calm and patience shown by both the rescue teams and the trapped workers, noting that rushing the operation was never an option due to the geological risks. He added that the workers, identified as diamond drillers using specialized industrial diamond-tipped tools to bore through rock, even managed to catch up on sleep during their time in the chamber.
The Red Chris mine is situated on Tahltan Nation territory, near Dease Lake in northwest B.C., about 420 kilometres from Fort Nelson. Owned by Newmont Corp., the mine is primarily an open-pit operation but has been expanding into underground block-cave mining since 2019. The tunnel where the incident occurred opened in 2023 as part of this expansion.
Following the incident, all underground operations at the mine have been paused. Both the provincial government and Newmont Corp. have launched investigations into the causes of the rockfalls. B.C. Premier David Eby praised the rescue team’s bravery and commended the resilience of the drillers. Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals Jagrup Brar called it a proud day for the province and emphasized the need to learn from the event to enhance future safety protocols.
While the open-pit portion of the mine remains operational, the underground section will stay closed until investigations conclude. The company hopes the transition to block-cave mining will extend the mine’s life by another 13 years, beyond its previously estimated closure in 2027.
