30/08/2014 10:58
11 of 24 trapped gold miners rescued in Nicaragua
The first 11 of 24 freelance gold miners trapped by a collapse in a mine in northern Nicaragua have been rescued and crews were working early Saturday to free more, officials said, The Associated Press reported.
The men walked out of the mine on their own as their relatives and fellow miners cheered late Friday night, more than 24 hours after a collapse at the El Comal gold and silver mine in the town of Bonanza left them cut off in a mine shaft.
Rescued miner Marvin Urbina, 34, said he and some of his fellow miners saw an avalanche of mud and rock coming their way. They stuck to the walls of the mine but at least four of their co-workers were crushed by the mud and rock streaming down the shaft, he said.
"I asked God to let me live and he listened to me and now I will serve Him," an emotional Urbina told Channel 6.
Interior Vice Minister Carlos Najar said the miners were a bit dehydrated but in good health.
"They are coming out little by little, it's a slow process but we want to make sure they can get out safely," Najar told Channel 6 state television. He added that more of the miners are expected to be rescued overnight.
The miners were checked by paramedics and taken to a clinic in Bonanza, which is located about 260 miles (420 kilometers) northeast of Managua.