Newmont Deploys Drones and Remote-Controlled Scoop to Dig Out Trapped Miners
The entrance to the Red Chris mine near Iskut, British Columbia, on July 23.
Photographer: Dave Middleton/The Canadian Press/AP Photo
Newmont Corp. is using specialized drones and remote-controlled equipment to help rescue three workers that have been trapped underground for two days at its Red Chris gold mine in western Canada.
The drones are deployed to assess underground conditions while a remote-controlled scoop from the firm’s Brucejack site has started removing debris from a blocked area, a Newmont spokesperson said Thursday in an emailed statement. A second collapse had cut off communication, but Newmont said the workers are understood to be sheltering in a refuge chamber designed to support 16 people.