Darkness and debris impede rescue effort at flooded Mexico mine

Rescue personnel participate in the rescue operation for miners trapped in a coal mine that collapsed in Sabinas, Coahuila state, Mexico August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Luis Cortes

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican army divers were blocked by debris in their first attempt to descend deep into a flooded coal mine in northern Mexico where 10 miners have been trapped for a week, the country's defense minister said on Thursday.

The miners became trapped at a mine in the border state of Coahuila on Aug. 3 when their excavation work caused a tunnel wall to collapse, triggering flooding in parts of the underground mine.