Efforts to save ten miners trapped in a coal mine in northern Mexico for the past five days will include the use of an underwater drone, authorities said on Monday.
Using a high-resolution camera and a light source provided by the navy, civil defense national coordinator Laura Velazquez said the device can detect potential hazards without endangering lives.
Rescuers were able to enter the mine in Agujita, Coahuila’s northernmost city, after workers kept pumping water out of the cave.
if the water level drops to 1.5 meters, rescuers may be able to get into one of the shafts as early as mid-week, according to the military (around five feet).
Mine shafts descend 60 meters, and the water inside the one that rescuers plan to enter was 19.4 meters deep, officials said.
During a visit to the site on Sunday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said, “We’re hurrying to remove the water so that the rescuers can enter.”
Approximately 300 liters of water were being pumped out every second, he said.
“Everyone is a believer. There is only one thing on everyone’s mind: rescue “he stated.
According to the authorities, the miners had been excavating when they came across a water-filled area.
In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s accident, five workers were able to escape the crudely constructed mine, but no agreement has been reached with the others.
Relatives became increasingly desperate and hesitant to speak to the media with each passing hour.
Nearly 1,130 miles north of Mexico City, authorities have bolstered their security measures around the mine.
According to the government, hundreds of military personnel, including six scuba divers, are involved in the rescue effort.
After the accident occurred, investigators from the Attorney General’s Office demanded information from the Labor Ministry about safety inspections conducted at nearby mines.
More than one mine accident has claimed the lives of miners in Coahuila, Mexico’s primary coal producing region.
Seven miners perished last year as a result of being stranded in the area.
In 2006, an explosion at the Pasta de Conchos mine killed 65 people.
Only two bodies were found following the tragedy, and the families of the victims have pleaded with the Mexican government on numerous occasions to find the remaining victims.
