The Dominican Mining Corporation (Cormidom) reported this Monday that so far the tunnel boring machines, one loaned by the Government of Canada and the other by the Opretwould only be used for the rescue of the miners trapped if necessary.
Poul Marinko, president of the company, said that they will continue the process of bailing out workers in the Cerro de Maimón mine using the traditional method, without having to use tunnel boring machines.
He indicated that until today afternoon they have excavated about 60 meters of the 74 that must be carried out to reach where Gregory Alexander Méndez Torres (Dominican) and Carlos Yépez (Colombian) have been trapped under the ground since Sunday, July 31.
He argued that for the installation of the foreign equipment they need 12 to 14 hours, a valuable time to achieve the bailing out of their collaborators.
“The machine is there as an alternate form in case what we have planned with the traditional mining method does not work,” the executive said in English through Cormidom’s vice president, Elizabeth Mena, who served as translator.
Although work is progressing on bailing outthe president of the Dominican Mining Corporation says that they cannot establish the time remaining to reach the area of the accident.
However, he announced that they are coordinating with the Dominican Government the plan to bailing out.
She was confident that both Gregory and Carlos will make it out of the tunnel safely. Marinko assured that the miners they are in good health and have enough food.
He said that the investment made in the operation, the amount of which he does not disclose, will be assumed by Cormidom in its entirety. He highlighted the economic and human contributions allocated by the Dominican Government.
Poul Marinko spoke with journalists together with the Director of Mining, Rolando Muñoz, the geologist Osiris de León, and other specialists who work in the process of bailing out.
