The Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte Reynoso, reported the arrival of experts from Canada to contribute to the rescue of the miners, while assuring that work is being done for the prompt rescue of the two trapped people.

Almonte avoided referring to the rescue times, but indicated that the mining company is doing “all the necessary work” to get to where the miners are as soon as possible.

“In a delicate, complex process, with many technical demands, and the company has been working with these criteria. Specialists arrived from Canada last night who are working to guarantee success,” said the minister.

Regarding the reports of the trapped miners, he said that they are in good health, spirits and that they receive everything they need to survive.

Regarding the Colombian miner, he said that he is “experienced” in underground mines and that he has knowledge on how to act in these situations.

Regarding the accident that occurred, the minister said that the main thing at this time is to rescue the miners, and then carry out the corresponding investigations into the entire event.

Trapped miners

The director of Mining, Rolando Muñoz, said on Tuesday that the rescue of the two miners trapped since dawn on Sunday in the Cerros de Maimón mine, Monseñor Nouel province, could take several days.

“The rescue work can take several days because special equipment and excavations are required, more than 70 men were fully integrated into the operation,” he said.

The official stated, when interviewed on the television space “El Día”, Telesistema channel 11, that it was easy to find the exact point where the miners were trapped, because each mine employee has a locator.

Muñoz explained that the collapse occurred when Dominican Gregory Alexander Pérez and Carlos Yepes, a Colombian national, were together with 70 other workers in one of the mine’s tunnels, which is 6.5 meters wide and 6 meters high.
“We immediately started a protocol, we identified the miners and we worked to detect the problem, the authorities even set up temporary offices to be closer,” he explained.

He also said that a seven-centimeter hole was drilled in firm rock through which “food, water, medicine, whatever they need” are supplied.

Likewise, he ruled out that there is a danger of suffocation for people trapped 31 meters away from the surface. At the time that he reported, they maintain communication with them through a pipe that replicates the echo of their voices to the outside.

Maimon Hills

The Dominican Mining Corporation (Cormidom) is the company in charge of operating the Cerros de Maimón mine, a municipality in the Monseñor Nouel province, where some 554 people work.

According to the Director of Mining, it is the third largest mining company in the Dominican Republic, this company is mainly dedicated to the extraction of zinc and copper concentrate.