All 23 Trapped In Colombian Mine Brought Out Alive

Bogotá: All 23 gold miners trapped for 48 hours in a collapsed shaft in Colombia emerged mud-covered but alive from their ordeal Wednesday to loud applause from colleagues and loved ones above ground.

Images shared by the state mining agency showed the miners brought out in groups, supported by rescuers and sipping on water at La Reliquia mine, some four hours from Colombia's second city of Medellin in the northwestern Antioquia department.

The miners, stuck underground since the early hours of Monday in a shaft 80 meters (262 feet) underground, had been receiving food, water and oxygen through underground pipelines.

Officials said the miners received sustenance throughout the rescue operation and had been able to communicate with families and rescuers by telephone.
The mine's ventilation system continued functioning throughout.

The site is operated by a local cooperative on behalf of Canada's Aris Mining Corporation.

Mining accidents are frequent in Colombia and claim dozens of lives each year, usually at unlicensed mines.

On Sunday, seven miners who had been trapped in an illegal gold mine in the country's southwest were found dead.

Another 18 were rescued alive from a collapsed gold mine in the northwest in July after a 12-hour emergency operation.

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