Company identifies three workers trapped in B.C. mine

By Canadian Press on July 24, 2025.

The three workers trapped in a northern British Columbia mine have been named by their employer.

Hy-Tech Drilling says Kevin Coumbs of Ontario, Darien Maduke of B.C. and Jesse Chubaty of Manitoba are trapped in the Red Chris mine.

The company, based in Smithers, B.C., says it has permission from the families to share the names and is asking that their privacy be respected.

It says it is working around the clock alongside emergency crews to reach the trapped workers.

The safety chief for the mine’s operator has said natural air is flowing to the area where the workers are trapped and there appears to be a stable rescue route behind the massive rockfall that cut them off.

Bernard Wessels of Newmont Corp. would not say how long he expected the rescue to take but said he was confident “from a timing perspective.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.

The Canadian Press