Mexican Miner Found Alive After 14 Days Trapped in Flooded Mine

In a remarkable rescue operation, a miner has been found alive after spending 14 days trapped in a flooded gold and silver mine in Mexico. Military divers and rescue teams reached Francisco Zapata Nájera after pumping water from the collapsed Santa Fe mine shaft in the state of Sinaloa.

The mine collapsed on March 25, reportedly due to a structural failure that caused flooding and trapped four workers underground. While 21 other miners managed to escape quickly, the fate of the remaining four remained uncertain for two weeks.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described the rescue as "incredible." Authorities confirmed that two other workers perished in the accident. A fourth miner had been brought to the surface alive earlier in the rescue effort.

Rescuers worked around the clock for two weeks, employing pumps and technical teams with military support. The survivor was eventually airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Mazatlán for specialized medical care.

The incident has reignited concerns about safety standards in Mexico's mining industry, where fatal accidents remain frequent. In 2022, ten miners died in a disaster at the El Pinabete mine in Coahuila. The 2006 explosion at the Pasta de Conchos mine, which claimed 65 lives, remains the deadliest tragedy in the nation's mining history.