Mexico finds first remains of coal miners lost in 2022 accident

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities have located remains from two of the 10 coal miners trapped and killed at the El Pinabete mine in the state of Coahuila in August 2022, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The disaster highlighted the dangers workers face at Mexico's small, unregulated coal mines and drew attention to Mexico's state-owned power utility CFE, which the miner provided coal for.

Support for CFE and for Mexico's coal industry has been a pillar of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's energy policies.

CONTEXT

The miners became confined underground at the Pinabete mine in the northern border state of Coahuila on Aug. 3, 2022, when a tunnel wall collapsed, triggering flooding throughout the mine.

Reuters reported last year that the mine had not been visited by labor inspectors.

KEY NUMBERS

It took authorities 512 days to find the first remains 62 meters below the surface, after rescue authorities extracted 2.3 million cubic meters of rock and soil, the government's statement said.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Aurora Ellis)