Relatives of 10 miners trapped since Wednesday after a collapse at a coal mine attend a Mass as rescue operations are being carried out at the flooded mine, in the community of Agujita, Sabinas Municipality, Coahuila State, Mexico, on August 6, 2022. Photo by Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP)
AGUJITA, Mexico 鈥� Saturday鈥檚 effort to rescue 10 Mexican coal miners trapped in a flooded deposit for four days ended with little progress, relatives said, with hopes of reaching any survivors dwindling.
More than 300 soldiers and other personnel, including six military scuba divers, have joined the bid to free the miners in the northern state of Coahuila following Wednesday鈥檚 accident, the government said.
Liliana Torres, the niece of one of the 10 workers, told reporters on Saturday night that she had witnessed the relentlessness of rescuers who 鈥渄o not stop all day鈥�, but added that the families were increasingly 鈥渄esperate鈥�.
The water inside the flooded mine has only receded about 9.5 meters (31 feet) from the initial 34 feet, according to a report given to the relatives by the authorities at the end of Saturday鈥檚 effort, and divers have been unable to enter.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had earlier declared Saturday 鈥渁 decisive day鈥� for the operation.
鈥淎ccording to the experts, we鈥檒l know if it鈥檚 possible for the divers to enter safely,鈥� he tweeted.
The main problem has been the flooding, he said, adding that the pumping equipment was working at full capacity.
After Saturday ended without success, some families joined a mass near their improvised camp in the community of Agujita.
The Coahuila State prosecutor鈥檚 office said it had interviewed the five workers who managed to escape from the crudely constructed mine.
鈥淎pparently they were expelled by a torrent of water,鈥� Coahuila attorney general Gerardo Marquez told the press.
He added that his office had requested information from the landowner and mine concession holder, but declined to name them.
Water leak
Authorities said that the miners had been carrying out excavation work on three mine shafts that descended 60 meters (200 feet) when they hit an adjoining area full of water.
Experts detected a leak coming from nearby mines and are trying to find its exact location so they can stop water from flowing into the area where the workers are trapped, said Coahuila鈥檚 labor secretary, Nazira Zogbi.
A French company has provided equipment to assist in the task, she said, without naming the firm.
The arrival of more powerful pumping equipment was a reason for optimism, Zogbi said.
Water seen flowing from the mine through drainage channels had initially lifted the hopes of relatives anxiously awaiting news.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still hoping that they鈥檙e in a higher part (of the mine), although there鈥檚 too much water鈥� but we trust in God,鈥� Elva Hernandez, mother-in-law of one of the trapped workers, told AFP.
History of accidents
Coahuila, Mexico鈥檚 main coal-producing region, has seen a series of fatal mining accidents over the years.
Last year, seven miners died when they were trapped in the region.
The worst accident was an explosion that claimed 65 lives at the Pasta de Conchos mine in 2006.
Only two bodies were retrieved after that tragedy.
Miners and their relatives painted a picture of a precarious profession fraught with risks due to lax safety standards.
鈥淲hen everything鈥檚 fine, you don鈥檛 think about the danger, but when things happen you think about quitting,鈥� said Luis Armando Ontiveros.
However, looking for a new job does not seem like a viable option for the 48-year-old, whose father taught him to dig for coal at an early age.
The father-of-three said he needed the monthly salary equivalent to about $500 to pay for his children鈥檚 education so they do not have to follow in his footsteps.