12 men trapped in Colombia coal mine collapse
12 men trapped in Colombia coal mine collapse
Associated Press | October 31, 2014 | Updated: October 31, 2014 11:47am
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A collapse deep in a coal mine trapped 12 workers in Colombia and officials said Friday that any rescue will be difficult.
The country's Ministry of Mines and Energy said the collapse occurred at about 4 p.m. Thursday with a sudden burst of water into the mine in the northwestern state of Antioquia. It said contamination in the air in the tunnels was beyond officially permitted levels and officials were trying to pump it out.
A specialized 20-person mine rescue team joined police, civil defense workers and firefighters at the scene some in Amaga, some 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Bogota.
Antioquia Gov. Sergio Fajardo told reporters it is likely to take three days to reach the men.
"This work is very complicated. I have never seen a situation like this," he said. "The conditions are very precarious."
More:
http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/12-men-trapped-in-Colombia-coal-mine-collapse-5860931.php
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12 miners feared dead in northwest Colombia mining accident
Oct 31, 2014 posted by Piotr Wojciak
Local police learned about the tragedy in Amaga, a town some 50 miles southwest of Medellin, through an emergency call informing that there had been explosions inside the La Cancha mine which caused a water container to burst leading to subsequent flooding.
In the wake of the disaster, dozens of relatives of the miners have gathered around the entrance since 5PM on Thursday.
Carlos Mario Usma, director of environmental management from Amaga, explained that initial inspection showed the water level reaching up to 250 meters inside the mine. In such cases, the structure of the mine makes it impossible to safeguard potential survivors.
“It is simply impossible that the miners could have survived.” added the expert.
Usma says the infrastructure is ready to start pumping water out and estimated that, if the process is done correctly, the rescue of the 12 miners could take up to 13 days. For now, the objective is to supply fresh air to the mine to counter the gas accumulated after the accident. Only this way can the rescue mission begin.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/hope-12-miners-trapped-flooded-mine/
