Last of 39 trapped Canadian miners climb out, all safe

The last of 39 miners trapped underground in eastern Canada for nearly three days climbed to the surface early Wednesday where they were greeted by family, officials said.

Brazilian mining company Vale congratulated rescuers in a statement for "bringing our 39 employees home safe and healthy."

"This was tremendous news flowing from very difficult circumstances," said company chief executive Eduardo Bartolomeo, who met with miners and rescuers in Sudbury, Ontario.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also tweeted that all 39 "have been successfully rescued from the Totten Mine."

"We are all very relieved that you're safely above ground and uninjured," he said.

Shawn Rideout of Ontario Mine Rescue, who led the operation, told public broadcaster CBC the last of four miners who made their way to the surface on Wednesday exited at 4:45 am local time (0845 GMT).

"They were met by their spouses and their children. It was hugs and kisses and a lot of tears," he said.

The miners became trapped Sunday afternoon after an accident damaged their transport system, cutting off access to the main exit.

Vale said a heavy scoop bucket had detached from and collided with the conveyance system, rendering it unusable.

Rideout described a painstakingly slow process using ropes and ladders to help the miners -- who'd had minimal food and sleep -- climb 3,000 feet up a secondary egress.

After wrapping up the rescue operation, he said "all 39 (miners) had climbed up on their own power," with assistance from rescuers.

Kyle Arcand, on his way home after being freed, told CBC he and fellow miners suffered "a lot of anxiety... because you don't know exactly when you're going to come out, or how long you're going to be down there."

All operations at the Totten mine in Sudbury, Ontario -- which employs 200 people -- have been halted since Sunday, and Vale says it will conduct an assessment before resuming production.

The mine had closed in 1972, but Vale completed refit work and reopened it in 2014. In the first six months of 2021, about 3,600 tons of finished nickel were extracted from it. -- AFP