On September 26, 39 miners were trapped underground at vale's Totten mine in Sudbury, Ontario, in eastern Canada.
Vale said in a statement on Monday that 39 trapped employees went to an emergency shelter immediately after the incident, and no one was injured. The company has been in constant communication with the downhole personnel, and the rescue workers will try to bring the trapped people up safely as soon as possible through the auxiliary ladder system.
The incident revived memories of the collapse of the San Jose mine in Chile in 2010, when 33 men were trapped for 69 days before being lifted to safety. Totten is a far more complex operation than San Jose, and the accident could hamper Vale's environmental, social and governance efforts following two tailings disasters in Brazil in the past six years.
In the first half of 2021, Totten produced 3,600 tonnes of nickel metal, or about 4% of the company's total. Production is currently suspended and Vale is assessing what is necessary to resume production.
When Vale bought Inco in 2006, it also bought the then inactive and water-filled Totten plant. The company spent about $700 million on nickel and copper production in 2014.
