The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) reported that the remains of two more miners have been fully identified at the Pasta de Conchos mine in Coahuila, bringing the total number of bodies recovered since the resumption of search operations to 25. In a statement released on Wednesday, the institutions that make up the Unified Command in Pasta de Conchos announced that the respective families of José Isabel Minjarez Yáñez and Ricardo Hernández Rocha have been notified of the identification. These are the 24th and 25th recoveries in the operations led by the CFE. "From now on, the established protocol for the dignified recognition and delivery of the remains to the families will be followed, ensuring the accompaniment of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) at all times until the final destination of the miners, as has been the case in the previous 23 cases," the state-owned company stated. It specified that the process has the support of the Attorney General's Office (FGR), the National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN) of the Ministry of Health, the Government of Coahuila, and the various municipal governments of the coal region. Likewise, the Unified Command reiterated that "in accordance with the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and under the commitment of the heads of the institutions of the Unified Command, recently ratified before the plenary session of the families on February 20, work will continue to be carried out for the search and rescue of the remains of the 38 pending miners with transparency, security, and community participation." On February 19, 2006, an explosion at the Pasta de Conchos mine, located in Coahuila, left 65 workers trapped. At that time, only the bodies of two miners were recovered, and months later, rescue efforts were suspended due to unsafe conditions. For years, the families denounced abandonment by the authorities and demanded the recovery of the bodies, as well as justice for alleged security failures at the mine. In 2019, the government of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced the resumption of search and recovery work. In July 2024, the first body was identified after the resumption of operations. In September 2024, during the transition between the López Obrador and Sheinbaum administrations, an agreement was reached to guarantee the continuity of the rescue of the miners at Pasta de Conchos and El Pinabete, both in Coahuila. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, to date, the remains of 25 miners have been recovered, of which 23 have already been identified and handed over to their families. On February 21, Sheinbaum met with the victims' families and reiterated that the search will continue "until the last day" of her government, with the goal of recovering all pending bodies. The head of state presented the "Justice Plan for Pasta de Conchos," which includes the continuation of rescue operations, as well as support and reparation measures for the victims' families.
