Three workers trapped underground in a refuge area at the Red Chris mine in northwestern British Columbia have enough air, water and food for an “extended stay,” the mine’s majority owner said Wednesday.
B.C. Premier David Eby released the news at the end of the premiers’ gathering in Ontario.
Eby says there was an accident at the mine, which is located in Northern B.C., approximately 400 kilometres north of Hazelton.
A statement from Newmont, the mine’s primary shareholder, says two “fall of ground incidents” occurred Tuesday morning in an underground work area.
“At the time of the initial incident, three business partner employees were working more than 500 meters beyond the affected zone and were asked to relocate to a designated refuge station before a subsequent fall of ground blocked the access way,” the statement explained.
The company says contact has been established to confirm they have safely relocated to a self-contained refuge bay.
“The refuge stations are equipped with adequate food, water and ventilation to support an extended stay.”
But after the second fall of ground event, the company says communication has been “restricted.”
It says mining operations have been paused and the company is working with specialist teams to respond to the situation.
“All appropriate emergency response protocols were activated immediately. Newmont is actively assessing all methods and technologies available to restore communication and safely bring our team members to surface. Our priority remains on ensuring the safety of the three individuals and of the emergency response teams supporting this effort.”
Provincial Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals Jagrup Brar says the ministry dispatched a geotechnical inspector of mines to the site to work with Newmont.
Brar says the Ministry of Transportation has also expedited a permit to allow heavy equipment to be moved from the Brucejack mine, approximately 100 kilometres to the south of Red Chris.
“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.
Eby says two of the workers are from B.C. and another is from Ontario.
WorkSafeBC, the province’s worker safety agency, said in a statement that mine safety falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.
Nolan Paquette, a business agent for United Steelworkers Local 1-1937, said the trapped workers are contractors.
They are trapped on the opposite side of the collapse, but they are safely in the refuge station underground, he said in an interview.
The premier said he had spoken to Ontario Premier Doug Ford about the situation and was keeping Ford’s government up to date.
“Obviously it’s very concerning for the families, for the workers in the sector and British Columbians and Canadians and our thoughts are with the families and appreciation with the incredibly brave rescue teams that are working right now.”
Eby told reporters later Wednesday that he didn’t have details on how long the rescue was expected to take.
The province’s ambulance service, meanwhile, said it was monitoring the situation.
The Red Chris mine is jointly owned by Newmont, which has a 70 per cent interest in the project, and Imperial Metals Corp.
The mine is mostly an open-pit operation, but Newmont said in an earlier statement that development of underground block-cave mining began in 2019, four years after its first production date.
The Canadian Mining Journal has said block caving can extend the life of an open pit operation, and the underground mass mining method allows for bulk extraction of lower-grade ore deposits.