Three workers trapped in Newmont’s Red Chris mine in British Columbia

Three workers are still trapped underground following accidents at Newmont’s (NYSE, ASX: NEM; TSX: NGT) Red Chris mine in northwestern British Columbia, a company spokesperson said. Newmont has suspended operations.

A collapse, or fall of ground incident, on Tuesday morning affected the access way to the underground work area of a non-production project at the copper-gold mine, the spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Northern Miner on Wednesday.

Three business partner employees, who were working more than 500 metres beyond the affected area, were asked to move to a self-contained refuge station before the access way was blocked by a collapse. Contact was made with the workers, who confirmed they had safely entered a refuge bay, which contains food, water and ventilation sufficient to support an extended stay.

Shares in Newmont, the world’s largest gold miner by production and market capitalization, fell 0.4% on Wednesday afternoon in Toronto to C$83.83 apiece, valuing the company at C$68.3 billion.

Communication cut

A second collapse then cut off communication with the workers, and Newmont halted operations.

“With the support of industry, we are working to assemble specialist teams from nearby mine sites to respond to the situation,” the spokesperson said. “Newmont is actively assessing all methods and technologies available to restore communication and safely bring our team members to surface. Our priority remains on ensuring the safety of the three individuals and of the emergency response teams supporting this effort.”

Red Chris, in production since 2015, is a joint venture owned and operated 70% by Newmont and 30% by Imperial Metals (TSX: III). The mine is about 80 km south of Dease Lake and 1,050 km north of Vancouver.