WORLD / AMERICAS
Mexico prepares new plan for 10 trapped coal miners after setback
Published: Aug 16, 2022 09:02 PM
Mexican authorities announced on Monday a plan to seal leaks into a coal mine where 10 workers have been trapped for more than a week, after renewed flooding dealt a major setback to rescue efforts.

A sudden jump in water levels in the El Pinabete mine in the northern state of Coahuila deepened the despair of relatives, who are increasingly 

frustrated with the slow pace of the operation.

The water in the shaft that rescuers hope to enter was around 38 meters deep on Monday, compared with 1.3 meters early Sunday, civil defense national coordinator Laura Velazquez said.

The current level is even higher than in the initial aftermath of the August 3 accident, despite nonstop efforts to pump out water, according to figures given by the government.

The new strategy is intended to ­prevent more water from entering El Pinabete from the much bigger, ­abandoned Conchas Norte mine nearby, Velazquez said.

The plan is to drill 20 holes 60 meters deep into the Conchas Norte mine and inject cement into them to seal the leaks, Velazquez said.

Authorities believe the workers accidentally pierced a hole in a wall between the two mines, causing El Pinabete to flood.

"We're not going to stop working to rescue the miners," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters.

Five miners managed to escape following the initial accident, but there have been no signs of life from the others.

Several hundred rescuers, including soldiers and military scuba divers, are taking part in the rescue efforts.