Three Workers Rescued After Tunnel Collapse at Red Chris Mine

Two separate ground falls in a tunnel accessing the underground area of an inactive project at the Red Chris Mine in British Columbia occurred on July 22, trapping three men underground.

The first event involved three contract workers who were working more than 500 meters beyond the affected area at the time of the collapse. They were instructed to access a refuge station shortly before the second ground fall, which then sealed off access to the tunnel, Newmont said in a media release on its website.

After the first ground fall, contact was made with the three workers who confirmed they had safely reached one of several self-contained refuge stations located within the mine. The refuge bays are equipped with ample food and water as well as ventilation systems to support the occupants for an extended period of time if necessary.

The second ground fall, which cut off communication with the three workers, prompted a temporary suspension of all work at Red Chris to focus efforts on rescue and recovery. Other members of the mining industry assisted and specialized teams from nearby operations were being deployed to aid in the response, the release said.

Emergency response protocols were immediately activated, and Newmont immediately reviewed all available technologies and options to establish contact and safely extract the three workers from the mine.

The material that sealed off access to the underground work area was initially estimated to be about 20 to 30 meters in length and 7 to 8 meters high. The refuge chambers each support 16 people and were in another part of the mine that was believed to be stable and well-ventilated and not impacted by the collapse.

Newmont said in a release on July 24th that it was monitoring the underground geotechnical conditions with specialized drones and had teams in place to re-establish communication with the three men as it worked to restore a communications system that was damaged during the incident.

A remote-control scoop was also transported from the Brucejack site and was immediately put to work on clearing debris in an attempt to re-establish access past the scene of the collapse.

Teams successfully removed the collapsed material from the access tunnel using a line-of-sight scoop at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 24. Once the tunnel was verified stable, the Emergency Response Team entered the affected zone and advanced using equipment that was fitted with a purpose-built Falling Object Protective System (FOPS) to provide added protection as they worked their way to the refuge chamber.

On arrival at the refuge chamber, the Emergency Response Team found Kevin, Darien and Jesse, all in stable condition. The group was then brought safely back to the surface, again using the same specialized, protective equipment that had been used when entering the mine.

The three employees of Hy-Tech Drilling who had been trapped in the Red Chris Mine Darien Maduke, Kevin Coumbs, and Jesse Chubaty were safely rescued and brought to the surface around 10:40 pm on July 25^th.

“Today, we breathe a collective sigh of relief and express our profound thanks in celebration of the rescue and safe return of the three workers at Red Chris mine. After a fall-of-ground incident on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, these men spent more than two days in an underground refuge station before being safely extracted,” said Jagrup Brar, Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals.

“I want to commend the many agencies, organizations, companies and individuals who pulled together in the face of this challenge, the mine rescue teams, Newmont, the Tahltan Nation, industry and government. Your decisive action and collaborative work around the clock helped ensure the best possible outcome in the face of this emergency. Thanks once again to everyone involved, and I wish Kevin, Darien and Jesse all the best and a happy reunion with their families and loved ones.”