Three contractors were rescued late Thursday after more than 60 hours trapped underground at the Red Chris gold and copper mine in northern B.C.
Here is a timeline of how the situation unfolded (all times Pacific):
July 22
- 6 am: Three contractors working for Hy-Tech Drilling begin work for the day at the mine.
- 7:47 am: The mine experiences the first of what officials call a "localized" ground fall. The three workers go to a refuge station and Newmont says the workers radio that they were safe.
- 10:30 am: A second, larger, fall takes place, cutting off communication.
July 23
- 10 am: BC Premier David Eby, speaking at a news conference in Ontario to mark the end of a premiers' meeting, announces the three workers are trapped.
- 11 am: Newmont Corp., the operator and majority owner of the mine, says the contractors were working more than 500 metres beyond the area affected by the first fall. It says the workers have enough air, water and food for an "extended stay."
July 24
- 6 am: Newmont says it has deployed drones to assess the conditions underground, and a pile of debris 20 to 30 metres long and seven to eight metres high is blocking access to the workers. It says a remote-controlled scoop is removing the debris.
- 2:30 pm: Newmont CEO Tom Palmer says the company will conduct a "thorough and independent investigation" into what happened and share details with the rest of the industry.
- 4:40 pm: Newmont holds a news conference where global safety chief Bernard Wessels says there is a "natural flow of air" to the area where the workers are trapped. He says drones have flown over the debris and have found a stable route to the refuge behind it.
- 6 pm: Hy-Tech Drilling releases the names of the workers with permission from their families. They are Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke and Jesse Chubaty.
- 10:50 pm: The men are safely brought to the surface after what Newmont calls a "carefully planned and meticulously executed rescue."
Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Canadian Press.
