Story highlights
Miners have been trapped since Thursday, await rescue
Blocked mine cavity is 2,000 feet below the surface
Rescue crews are attempting the extraction
Three miners are missing; others were able to exit
Rescuers freed 20 workers from a mine in Nicaragua late Friday, dozens of hours after it collapsed and buried them underground, authorities said.
Rescue crews were deployed to attempt an extraction from an underground cavity, said government spokesperson Milagros Solórzano, reported El 19 Digital.
The mine is near the town of Bonanza in the country’s northern mountains.
An unknown number of miners were able to escape Thursday and are recuperating in a local hospital, said Solórzano.
“We found an alternate route to retrieve the 20 miners that are confirmed alive. We are working on the rescue with the ladders to reach them and bring them out as soon as possible. We have to remember they are 2,000 feet below the ground,” said Solórzano, reported El 19 Digital.
Dogs were brought in to aid emergency crews.
Shortly after getting trapped, the miners called out for help.
“Three other miners that were trapped are missing. We hope and trust God that they are alive,” she said.
The nation’s civil defense, army and members of the mining company EMCO are collaborating on the rescue, according to the report.