MONTREAL, Sept 28, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Thirty-nine miners have been trapped

underground in eastern Canada for at least 24 hours after an accident damaged
the transport system, cutting off access to the main exit, the company that
owns the mine said Monday.

  None of the miners were injured in the Sunday afternoon incident, and they
have had access to food and water, said Brazilian mining company Vale, which
hopes to free its employees by Monday evening.

  The company said in a statement that a heavy scoop bucket detached from and
collided with the conveyance system, rendering it unusable.

  But "the rescue crew has reached the miners and is starting to move them up
via a secondary egress ladder system," Vale said.

  "No one was on board the main transport system when the incident occurred,"
company spokeswoman Danica Pagnutti told Radio Canada.

  "We understand this rescue will take some time and are very relieved to
hear the miners are currently uninjured," tweeted Doug Ford, the premier of
Ontario, where the mine is located.

  All operations at the Totten mine in Sudbury, Ontario have been halted
since Sunday, and Vale says it will conduct an assessment before resuming
production.

  The mine had closed in 1972, but Vale completed work and reopened it in
2014. In the first six months of 2021, about 3,600 tons of finished nickel
were extracted from it.