Vale says 35 trapped workers return to surface from Canadian mine

Vale said earlier on Tuesday it expected all employees to surface by late morning, but in an afternoon statement it said that four still remained underground. The accident at the copper, nickel and precious metals mine occurred when a vehicle transporting the workers was taken offline.

Vale SA said on Tuesday that 35 of its employees who were trapped in a Canadian mine had returned to the surface and four more were on their way out.

On Monday, the Brazilian miner said 39 mine workers had been trapped underground since Sunday at its Totten mine in Sudbury, Canada. Vale said earlier on Tuesday it expected all employees to surface by late morning, but in an afternoon statement it said that four still remained underground.

The accident at the copper, nickel and precious metals mine occurred when a vehicle transporting the workers was taken offline. After that, employees went to refuge stations and kept in communication with the company, with access to food and water.

Vale said all rescued workers are in good health.