NEW YORK - Rescue workers early Thursday freed eight of 17 miners trapped in an elevator deep below ground in upstate New York, mine officials said.
The miners, trapped since about 10:00 pm Wednesday, have been stuck in a malfunctioning elevator 900 feet down an access shaft at the Cargill salt mine in Lansing, NY.
Cargill spokesman Mark Klein told AFP early Thursday that eight of the miners have been rescued, without providing details about their condition, although none of the workers was reported injured.
Fire department officials in the nearby city of Ithaca, which has been helping with the rescue, wrote on Facebook that the rescued miners were being examined by medical personnel. "They are being checked by EMS at this time," the Ithaca Fire Department wrote. Klein said the elevator simply "stopped and became stuck" while the miners were on their way into the mine to begin their shift, noting that the mine floor is at 2,300 feet below ground and the elevator has safety brakes.
He added that the mining operations at the site have been suspended for the time being. "First shift has already been called off and we will have to investigate and inspect the operation," Klein said "We have been in constant contact with the 17," he said, adding that the mine employs about 200 workers.