Miner Rescued After Nearly Two Weeks Trapped Underground in Mexico
A miner in Mexico has been rescued after an incredible effort that lasted nearly two weeks. Francisco Zapata Nájera was trapped underground due to a dam failure that flooded the El Rosario mine in Sinaloa on March 25. He and three colleagues were caught when the incident occurred.
Rescue divers found Zapata Nájera on Tuesday, but it took 21 hours for the teams to reach him due to the heavily flooded areas. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the dedication of the rescue teams, stating, “It was the exceptional members of the Mexican Army’s Emergency Response Battalion, along with the miner’s own faith and resilience, that made this astonishing rescue possible.”
Out of the 25 miners present during the flooding, 21 managed to escape immediately. Remarkably, five days later, rescuers also saved another miner from a depth of 985 feet.
Sadly, some tragic news came as the president confirmed that one miner was found dead, and another remains missing. In a touching moment captured on video, crowds cheered as Zapata Nájera emerged from the mine, finally seeing daylight for the first time in weeks.
Once rescued, his condition was stabilized, and he was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Mazatlán for further care.
This incident adds to a tragic history of mining accidents in Mexico; the deadliest occurred in 2006 at the Pasta de Conchos mine, resulting in the loss of 65 workers’ lives.
