UNDERGROUND

Vale confirms all Totten miners safely rescued

Rescue follows deployment of ladder system

Vale confirms all Totten miners safely rescued

Brazilian miner Vale has said all 39 of the miners involved in a safety incident at its Totten Mine in Sudbury have now been safely rescued.

Damage to the shaft rendered the normal conveyance system inoperable, trapping the 39 there since Sunday.

Rescuers helped employees exit the mine through a secondary egress ladder system.

The lift system became inoperable after a heavy scoop bucket crashed into it and blocked the shaft, Vale said. However, the miners able to reach different refuges between 900 and 1,200 metres underground.

Vale said it was assessing the necessary measures to resume production at the site.

Totten produced 3,600 tonnes of finished nickel in the first six months of 2021, representing about 4% of the company's output.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions