The search for the four miners trapped since March 25 at the Santa Fe mine in the Mexican state of Sinaloa (northwest) has integrated more than 300 personnel and 42 units working this Sunday under the direction of the National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), among other specialized brigades. The agencies reported in a press release that to the uninterrupted search and rescue efforts, specialists from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) have been added, who will “support in the definition of technical strategies, as well as the rescue squad from the mining group Frisco,” coming from the state of Chihuahua (north). The document pointed out that the maneuvers are being developed 300 meters deep in this area, located in the locality of Chele, where they face the presence of “muddy material,” which has hindered the progress to locate the victims of the mine collapsed by a tailings dam. And it confirmed that the brigades continue to operate under optimal ventilation conditions, with a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. “The central objective of these operations is to advance 1.5 kilometers on the ramps, enabling and securing strategic galleries to reach the deepest area where the miners are estimated to be located,” highlighted the text. It also assured that the geology department of Industrial Minera Sinaloa, the mine's owner, rigorously supervises each excavation phase. To guarantee the safety of the rescuers, it detailed that “an alarm system is maintained during all underground maneuvers to issue timely warnings in case of any risk and to carry out immediate evacuations if the environment requires it.” Regarding the incident that occurred on March 25 and reported to the authorities on the 26th of the same month, the CNPC indicated that “at the time of the geomembrane rupture, 25 workers were in the crew performing excavations. Of this group, 21 miners managed to leave unharmed on their own, while four people remain trapped.” “After receiving the official notification from the state authorities, the Government of Mexico immediately activated the federal response protocols and mobilized task forces to the site,” it pointed out. This joint task is articulated by the CNPC, National Defense, National Guard, the Secretariat of the Navy, the Sinaloa State Civil Protection Institute, and various expert brigades, among which also participate the IMSSA Mining Group, the Lobos de Guanaceví Group, and the Actus Group. On March 28, the authorities revealed that, according to technical analyses carried out by geotechnical specialists, it was determined that the origin of the incident “derived from a critical failure in the waterproofing layer designed for the containment of residual materials.” Sinaloa is one of the main mineral-producing states in the country, in a sector that contributes a little more than 2% of the national GDP, according to data from the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists, and Geologists of Mexico (Aimmgm).
