Newmont’s Successful Rescue of Trapped Miners at Red Chris Mine Expansion
The National Inflation Association (NIA) would like to acknowledge the successful rescue effort at the Red Chris Mine, jointly owned by Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) and Imperial Metals (TSX: III), located in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia. Many people were asking if the U.S. possesses superior specialized equipment and technology that could help extract the trapped miners. We always knew that Canada would do it and wouldn't have to ask for Trump's help.
The Red Chris operation has historically functioned as an open-pit mine. The miners were trapped in a newer underground section that British Columbia is attempting to fast-track into production. Because this underground component isn’t yet fully operational, the mine did not have the necessary equipment on standby to handle a collapse of this magnitude.
Fortunately, Newmont also owns the nearby Brucejack Mine — developed by the legendary Dr. Quartermain — and was able to transfer specialized remote-operated scooping equipment to the site. Operated via high-definition monitors from a safe distance, this machinery was used to carefully remove debris blocking the access ramp without risking additional lives in what remains an unstable environment.
As debris was removed with the remote scooper, drones were used to monitor the situation from above to ensure no further rock cave ins. Luckily the trapped miners stayed within a MineARC refuge chamber — a sealed, steel safety pod designed for emergencies like this. These chambers typically contain enough food, water, and oxygen to sustain up to 16 people for 72 hours. Newmont rescued them within only 60 hours!
The scale of the collapse was staggering. Debris was estimated to be 20–30 meters long and up to 7–8 meters high — significantly larger than similar incidents that have occurred in countries like Mexico or South Africa. Drone surveillance confirmed that natural airflow was still circulating through the mine. If the trapped miners exhausted the resources in their refuge pod, there would have been another chamber 700 meters away stocked with additional supplies — but moving toward it would've carried risks.
Newmont’s priority was clearing enough debris to reestablish a line of sight. Doing so allowed the mine’s leaky-feeder communication system — which was knocked offline by a second rockfall — to come back online. Once communications were restored, rescuers were able to better assess the miners’ condition and inform them of the rescue plan.
The three courageous miners: Kevin Coumbs, Darien Maduke, and Jesse Chubaty are contractors for Hy-Tech Drilling. After recent tragic events involving Jesse Korppi at West Red Lake’s Madsen Mine in Ontario this is very positive news.
