Two miners trapped in Ecuadorian mine to be rescued within hours

[News_Editor]

Two miners trapped in Ecuadorian mine to be rescued within hours

2010-10-20 05:02:57 GMT+7 (ICT)

PORTOVELO, ECUADOR (BNO NEWS) -- Ecuadorian authorities on Tuesday announced that two trapped miners in the Portovelo mine could be rescued alive within 10 hours.

Rescue crews have been digging non-stop and are about six meters (6 yards) away from the alleged site in which the two miners have been trapped since Friday. It should take approximately 10 hours to reach them.

"The distance to reach them is of approximately six meters (6 yards). We are currently underneath a chamber in which the miners could have been trapped," Cesar Lopez, a technician of the Minedsaco mining company, said.

Last Friday, Angel Vera and Pedro Mendoza became trapped at around 150 meters (165 yards) deep after the mine collapsed in Portovelo, in El Oro province near the border with Peru. Two other miners were trapped too but their corpses were found last Saturday in an inferior level of the mine.

The two trapped miners are believed to be alive as they could be in an area nearer to the surface than the two deceased. Authorities said that the two trapped workers could be in an area with water and oxygen that may have kept them alive.

However, rescue efforts have been slow as many debris needs to be removed and humidity and the fragility of the soil endangers the workers too. The efforts began immediately after the collapse of the mine and have continued every day, at every hour.

An official of the Mining Ministry, Jorge Espinosa, said that they expect to reach the trapped miners on Tuesday but it could change due to the conditions at the mine.

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