One miner rescued, five still trapped after mine collapse

One miner has been rescued following a coal mine collapse in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila yesterday morning, and five more remain trapped, the mine operator said.

The explosion was triggered when a large amount of methane gas ignited, causing 100 tonnes of coal to collapse, mine owner Altos Hornos de Mexico said.

Nearly 300 miners evacuated the mine without incident, the company said.

Coahuila’s public safety secretary José Luís Moran said rescue workers were trying to locate the missing miners. “We are devoted to the rescue of the affected miners,” he said.

The explosion marks the second coal mine disaster at a small coal mine in northern Mexico in the past 10 days.

– (Reuters)