Mexico abandons hope to rescue miners as authorities plan to recover bodies
September 5, 2022
9:31 PM CDT
Last Updated 25 min ago
Reuters
2 minute read
MEXICO CITY, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities on Monday outlined an 11-month plan to search for and recover the bodies of 10 coal miners trapped underground a month ago, a quiet admission that they are giving up on ambitions of rescuing the men alive.
The shift to a recovery comes after a tunnel wall collapsed and flooded the Pinabete mine in the northern border state of Coahuila on Aug. 3, triggering weeks of around-the-clock rescue efforts to pump water out of the mine and free the men.
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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador first signaled the government's shift from rescue to recovery on Aug. 28, when he spoke about a plan in the works to "remove the bodies" from the mine.
Bartlett and the director of Mexico's Civil Protection agency, Laura Velazquez, met with the miners' wives, who Velazquez said "are in agreement" about the plan.
Lopez Obrador said last week that the miners' families would receive government compensation, noting that many live in poverty.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-abandons-hope-rescue-miners-authorities-plan-recover-bodies-2022-09-06/