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Drones and divers deployed to rescue trapped miners in Mexico

mexico miners trapped
Photo: Protección Civil México

Mexico continues its efforts to save miners who have been trapped inside a flooded coal mine in Agujita, in the northern state of Coahuila, for over a week. The mine shafts reportedly flooded after workers hit an area full of water last Wednesday, blocking their way out. 

Five workers managed to escape, but ten remain trapped.  

According to official statements, a group of 557 people — including experts, authorities, and rescue team members — has been mobilized to Agujita, in addition to nearby administrative support from the state and municipality. 

On Sunday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on rescue teams to “redouble their efforts” in what he described as his administration’s “priority.” Coahuila state Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme said that same day that, despite the challenges, “water levels continue to decrease” as soldiers and rescuers have been pumping out water from the shafts. 

Military scuba divers and even drones have also been deployed to locate the missing miners — whose condition, as of this Wednesday, remains unknown. A new rescue attempt has been promised for today. 

Relatives camping out near the mine have become increasingly desperate, urging authorities to speed up rescue efforts. Similar cases of workers trapped in collapsed mines are not rare in Latin America, a region of mining-dependent economies where safety in the workplace is not always guaranteed. One of the most famous cases is the 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Chile’s Atacama desert, when 33 gold and copper miners ended up trapped 700 meters underground for 69 days. All survived.