Rescue efforts continued Monday at a copper mine in southern Peru where miners have been trapped since last week. Cabinet Chief Oscar Valdes said 20 specialists joined the operation to help reinforce shafts inside the Cabeza de Negro mine after a second cave-in occurred. The first shaft collapse occurred last Thursday and left 9 miners trapped in a horizontal tunnel about 820 feet underground.
"We want the rescue to happen as soon as possible, but the engineer in charge said it could be another day or two," Valdes said Sunday.
Rescuers have made contact with the miners through a metal tube. The tube is also being used to provide the men oxygen, water and food.
"It's very complicated work. We're taking into account all the necessary security measures to avoid risks among the rescuers themselves," said an official from the Civil Defense Agency.
The cause of the first cave-in remains unclear.
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