After detecting signs of structural instability in a natural plug of tailings and mud inside the Santa Fe mine, located in El Rosario, Sinaloa, authorities are working on building a concrete plug to reinforce the structure. The Unified Command Post reported that the rescue strategy for the three trapped miners is currently focused on consolidating the structural safety of the mine. Following the technical recommendations of specialists from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), construction began on Wednesday of a definitive five-meter concrete plug, anchored to the ground and temperature-reinforced, designed to withstand the total hydraulic load of the area. This work is 50% complete and is being carried out in five technical stages: cleaning (completed), anchoring, reinforcing, formwork, and concrete pouring, the last of which is currently underway under the direct supervision of specialists. In parallel, an accumulated progress of 129 meters has been made in the removal of tailings, highlighting an advance of 30 meters during the last workday. To optimize operation times, this material is stored at strategic points within the mine itself, which avoids unnecessary displacements to the surface and speeds up maneuvers. Likewise, an exploration borehole is being drilled to determine the conditions of the work front, and work is being done to channel underground waters to the northern sector of the mine. Additionally, pumping tasks to the outside are maintained through the installation of new power lines. To maintain the continuity and effectiveness of the operations, a deployment of 300 elements from the three orders of government is in place, who have worked for more than 180 hours continuously alongside emergency brigades from other mining units and states in the country. This inter-institutional effort is coordinated by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the National Guard (GN), the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), and the National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), in direct collaboration with the CFE and the authorities of the Government of Sinaloa.
