Rescuers pulled four bodies from a flooded coal mine in Northern Mexico Monday — while three others remain trapped inside.
Crews have been working frantically since Friday to free the trapped workers at the Coahuila mine — and are now being hampered by landslides that continue to block the entrance, Mexico News Daily reported.
“There were tunnels where they were able to take shelter,” Coahuila Gov. Miguel Angel Riquelme told reporters. “It became impossible due to how the current entered.”
“Oxygen is an issue due to the time that has already passed,” Riquelme added. “The priority at all times will be the safety of the miners.”
The mine is less than 3,000 feet long and 330 feet deep — but is narrow with steep sides making access difficult amid the flooding.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the collapse of a nearby pond prompted the flooding at the mine.
More than 300 rescue workers rushed to the scene Friday after rising waters trapped the seven miners, with pumps installed the following day to assist their efforts.
In 2006, a methane explosion at the nearby Pasta de Conchos coal mine in Sabinas killed an estimated 65 workers — with only two of their bodies ever recovered.