Three miners are currently missing at the Red Chris mine, in northern BC. This came after two weeks’ worth of rockfalls, during which time they were doing research. The accident occurred more than 500 meters beyond the impact area where the tunneling workers were performing their duties. The trapped employees are employees of business-partner employees, with two from British Columbia and one employee from Ontario.
The worst part of this whole incident was that the first rocks came down while the crews were still actively working under the hangfire! Following the first event, these students went straight to the refuge chamber. This would prove to be vital when a second rockfall followed their movements and closed off their only means of escape. Fortunately, they were able to make it to a MineARC refuge chamber, which is designed to safely hold up to 16 people.
This large scoured pile of debris from the rockfalls measures 20-30 meters in length and is up to seven or eight meters vertically high. In feet, that’s about 65 to 100 ft in length and 22 to 26 ft in height. The gigantic rubble heap has made rescue operations all the more difficult. That’s not put the safety of the workers hunkered down underneath the launch pad at risk.
Newmont Corporation is the responsible operator of the mine. They indicated that they were in communication with the entombed crew members after the initial rockfall occurrence. Confirmation was then received that they had safely moved to one of multiple self-contained refuge bays that were provided on-site.
“Following the first event, contact was established with the individuals and confirmation was received that they had safely relocated to one of multiple self-contained refuge bays,” – Newmont Corp. (via company’s statement)
The MineARC refuge chamber is a lifeline for those trapped. It ensures their continued access to air and food while they wait to be rescued. Other chambers are literally on call just around the corner, if more help is needed.
As emergency rescue operations continue, a remote-controlled scoop has started cleaning debris from the rockfalls. The mine’s emergency response team are working hard to keep the situation contained. Their priority now is to provide safety and security to the workers trapped.
