'Time against us' in bid to rescue 10 Mexican miners after 3 days underground

7/8/2022 6:05

        Large pumps sucked water from a flooded coal mine in Mexico on Saturday as authorities weighed whether to send divers to try to save 10 miners who have
        been trapped underground for more than three days.
        
        The miners became trapped at a mine in the northern border state of Coahuila on Wednesday afternoon when their excavation work caused a tunnel wall to collapse, triggering flooding in three wells.
        
        President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Saturday would be "decisive" in determining whether divers could safely enter the mine. But by afternoon, Coahuila Governor Miguel Riquelme said water levels were still too high.
        
        The possibility of mud-filled tunnels and underground collapses could make it impossible for rescue teams to search for the miners, even if enough water is extracted, she noted.
        
        Six divers from Mexican Special Forces were sent to aid the effort at the mine, where three wells, each 60 meters (200 feet) deep, were initially more than half-flooded.