British ColumbiaNewmont Corp. says the three drillers who have been trapped for more than 60 hours in the Red Chris mine in northern B.C. were successfully brought to the surface and are “in good health and spirits.”‘We are relieved to share that all three individuals are safe, and in good health and spirits,’ Newmont saysCBC News · Posted: Jul 24, 2025 10:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 42 minutes agoThree mine workers had been trapped underground at the Red Chris mine in northern B.C. (Colin Arisman/colinarisman.com)Newmont Corp. says the three mine workers who have been trapped for more than 60 hours in the Red Chris mine in northern B.C. were successfully brought to the surface safely on Thursday night.The company says they were freed at 10:40 p.m. PT.”We are relieved to share that all three individuals are safe, and in good health and spirits,” said Newmont in an emailed statement. “They had consistent access to food, water and ventilation whilst they remained in place in a refuge chamber underground over the last two days. They are now being supported by medical and wellness teams. Their families have been notified.”In a news conference early Friday, Newmont safety head Bernard Wessels said the workers are being reunited with their families Friday morning.The workers’ direct employer, Hy-Tech Drilling, identified the drillers as Kevin Coumbs of Ontario, Darien Maduke of B.C. and Jesse Chubaty of Manitoba. The drilling company, based in Smithers, B.C., said it had permission from the families to share the names and asked that their privacy be respected.WATCH | 3 workers being reunited with their families: B.C. mine representative says rescued drillers in good health, being reunited with familiesBernard Wessels, Newmont Corp.’s group head for health and safety, said Friday the rescued drillers did exactly what they should have, and emerged in good spirits and good health after being trapped in a B.C. mine.Wessels said the first thing the workers said once they were above ground was that they were able to catch up on sleep. He said while that indicates they were in good spirits, Newmont takes what happened seriously, and will be providing the three with any needed counselling.’We just wanted to get through this process’While earlier statements outlined two possible rescue routes, Newmont confirmed the workers were reached by clearing the original access tunnel.Officials have also confirmed that natural air had been flowing to the workers, according to Wessels, and a safe path was then mapped to the refuge chamber where they had been located on Thursday evening. “We were nervous and we just wanted to get through this process, but the one important thing is we kept ourselves patient so that we could do this in a safe way,” Wessels said on Friday.The three had been trapped underground since Tuesday morning when two rockfalls cut them off.Wessels said the contractors for Hy-Tech Drilling confirmed by radio they had made their way to a steel refuge chamber after the first fall, before a second collapse severed communications.An aerial shot of the Red Chris mine site. Newmont says the refuge chamber where the workers were had food and water. (SkeenaWild)A remote-controlled scoop removed a pile of debris 20- to 30-metres long and seven- to eight-metres high to gain access to the trapped workers. Newmont Corp. also used specialized drones to assess the geotechnical conditions underground. The mining site is located on Tahltan Nation territory near Dease Lake, B.C., about 420 kilometres west of Fort Nelson, B.C.Wessels said underground mining operations have been paused pending a full investigation. During the company’s second quarter earnings call on Thursday, Newmont CEO Tom Palmer said they will “conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the factors that led to this event,” adding that any findings will be used across the company and shared with the broader mining industry.That investigation is separate from a probe by B.C.’s Ministry of Mines Act, which has said it will make its findings public.Refuge chamber equipped for 16 peopleHy-Tech said the workers are diamond drillers, meaning they cut through rock using drill bits embedded with industrial diamonds. Newmont said the refuge chamber was designed to support 16 people with enough air, food and water for an extended stay.A large mining truck drives across the top of the Red Chris mine open pit. Workers were trapped in the mine Tuesday after two rockfalls. (Colin Arisman/colinarisman.com)Production at the gold and copper mine was paused during the rescue effort. The mine is mostly open pit, but Newmont said in an earlier statement that development of underground block-cave mining began in 2019 — four years after the mine’s first production date.Block-cave mining is a technique that involves digging underground to target the ore from below, according to a Newmont communications video on the company’s website.The Red Chris mine is one of the projects that B.C. announced it would be fast-tracking in response to the U.S. tariff threat.The drillers were working more than 500 metres past the affected zone when the first rocks fell, and were asked to relocate to the refuge before the second fall.”Following the first event, contact was established with the individuals and confirmation was received that they had safely relocated to one of multiple self-contained refuge bays,” the company said. In a statement, B.C.’s Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals said it was notified mid-afternoon Tuesday about the two fall-of-ground events, which occurred in the morning.The ministry said Newmont reported they had an “orderly” stand-down of operations following the incident.With files from The Canadian Press, Johna Baylon, Andrew Kurjata
3 drillers, including Manitoban, freed from northern B.C. mine after being trapped for days
