Rescuers try to reach trapped miner in north Chile
Chilean miner trapped almost 1,000 feet underground after mine collapses: rescue under way
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Rescue workers were clearing rubble by hand Monday to reach a man trapped 300 meters (984 feet) underground following a collapse in a mine in the same Atacama region where 33 miners were buried for 69 days in 2010, authorities said.
The trapped miner, 42-year-old Mario Torres Lopez, managed to survive the collapse in the Victoria mine, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the city of Vallenar, by taking refuge in a secondary tunnel, said regional mining secretary Mario Lopez Cid.
Lopez said on his twitter account that while visual contact has not been made, the trapped miner is responding to sounds made by rescuers who have descended into the mine.
Firefighters and special police units were trying to clear the rubble in the collapsed mine manually, while National Mining Service personnel were monitoring the stability of the mine and ground.
In August 2010, between Vallenar and Copiapo, a collapse in a different mine trapped 33 workers and their rescue and survival for more than two months deep underground became news worldwide.
