Canada aids in rescue of trapped miners

OTTAWA — The recent successful rescue of two miners trapped in a mine in the Dominican Republic for more than a week was made possible thanks to support from the international community including direct assistance from the Royal Canadian Air Force, according to the president of the company at the centre of the incident.

Paul Marinko, head of the Dominican Mining Corporation, said Canada played a critical role in transporting equipment that was used to help liberate the men from the Cerro de Maimon operation. The miners’ ordeal saw Gregores Mendez and Carlos Yepez spend 10 days trapped 31 metres under the surface from July 31 to Aug. 9.

Marinko said domestic support for the rescue effort was strong, with Dominican President Luis Abinader calling every day to check in on the status of the rescue and various government departments providing direct support on the ground.

But he said experts from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. were also involved, and the Canadian government played a key role in obtaining and providing equipment for the rescue operation.

Marinko said within 15 hours of the incident, crews involved in the rescue had established a hole through which they delivered water, food, walkietalkies, entertainment and a light source.

The miners eventually reported rising water levels that eventually reached waist level, but Marinko says they were able to pump the water out at a speed six times the rate of the inflow.

After assessing what equipment would be needed to safely rescue the miners, Marinko said the company began trying to track it down abroad.

Machines Rogers International, a mining company based in Val D’Or, Que. agreed to lend the necessary machinery to Cormidom and the Dominican government got in touch with Ottawa for assistance in transporting the gear.

The Royal Canadian Air Force transported the mining excavation system to the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo on Aug. 7. Two days later, the miners were rescued with assistance from a team sent over by Machines Rogers International.

Marinko said the two miners were released from hospital on Thursday and are now with their families.

The cause of the incident at Cerro de Maimon is currently under investigation and the underground mine is temporarily closed.