Global General

Rescue work on trapped miners meets difficulty in Chile

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-17 11:07

SANTIAGO -- The rescue of the 33 miners trapped in a coal mine for 11 days in the north of Chile has met with difficulties due to the bad condition of the mine, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said on Monday.

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"I want to affirm that we have the best teams working in the rescue of the 33 miners in the San Jose mine, but I want to be realistic and recognize that the situation is complicated," Pinera said during a public event in the south of the country.

Pinera said that the rescue work was being done 700 meters underground, but the mine was unstable with gaps and geological failures.

The authorities decided on Monday morning to suspend the rescue work to repair the main tunnel and the ventilation shaft of the mine. They are also trying to place an exploration line to establish contact with the miners.

The miners have been trapped since August 5 in a collapse at the San Jose gold and silver mine in northern Chile. The likelihood that the miners are still alive is low, the government said last week.