Update: More than three dozen miners who were trapped underground in central Canada on Sunday have all been freed thanks to ladders. The BBC reports a secondary ladder system enabled them to leave the mine, but required that they climb as many as 4,000 feet to the surface. The local United Steel Workers union described the climb as "a physically and mentally taxing feat." Our original story from Tuesday follows:
An operation is underway to evacuate Canadian miners trapped underground for more than 24 hours after a mechanical problem blocked the entrance shaft to a mine in northern Ontario, per the AP. Mining company Vale said a scoop bucket being sent underground Sunday afternoon detached, blocking the mine shaft at the Totten Mine, west of Sudbury, Ontario. As a result, it said, the "conveyance system" for taking workers to and from the surface could not be used.
That meant 39 employees were trapped in several different "refuges" between 900 and 1,200 meters underground, where they had access to food, water, and medicine. They "will exit via a secondary egress ladder system with support of Vale's mine rescue team," the company said. Nineteen miners were rescued overnight and are in good health, reports Bloomberg, adding the rest of the group are expected to be out by Tuesday morning. Vale said none were injured.
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A statement from the United Steelworkers, the union that represents 30 of the 39 workers trapped in the mine, said it was cautiously optimistic that all would be safely evacuated. "We understand this rescue will take some time and are very relieved to hear the miners are currently uninjured," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Twitter. Totten Mine opened in 2014 in Worthington, Ontario—the first mine to open in the area in 40 years, according to the company's website. The mine produces copper, nickel, and precious metals and employs about 200 people. (More trapped miners stories.)
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