Technology has come a long way in improving mine and miners' safety. But despite advances, accidents - due to human error and numerous hazards - continue to occur, often with tragic consequences.
A Look at Mines and Technologies That Help Them Deal With Disasters
- By Aida Akl
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Workers load a tube used for sending supplies to 33 miners trapped in a deep underground copper and gold mine at Copiapo, north of Santiago, Chile, Sep. 9, 2010. The miners have been stuck in a tunnel 2,300 feet (700 metres) below ground for weeks after a cave-in. (Reuters)
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A New Zealand soldier secures a robot from Australia onto a truck at Hokitika airport on New Zealand's west coast, Nov. 24, 2010. The robot will be used to assist the rescue effort of 29 miners trapped underground after an explosion at the nearby Pike River coal mine. (Reuters)
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Headlights are charged inside a changing room of a coal mine after a mining disaster in Soma, a district in Turkey's western province of Manisa, May 14, 2014. Rescuers were still trying to reach parts of the coal mine almost 48 hours after fire knocked out power and shut down ventilation shafts and elevators, trapping hundreds underground. (Reuters)
