Miners stuck underground during wind storm

Thu., Nov. 19, 2015

From staff reports

The night shift at the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, Idaho, was stuck underground when the mine lost power during Tuesday’s windstorm.

About 30 miners and other workers were affected by the power outage, said Luke Russell, a vice president at Hecla Mining Co., owner of the underground silver mine. The employees waited at their workstations until the electricity came back on around 1 a.m. and the mine’s hoist was operational again.

In the event of an extended power outage, a generator would have been used to run the hoist, Russell said.

The Lucky Friday Mine was to remain closed through the Thursday day shift, Russell said. The company was waiting for assurance from Avista Utilities of a reliable power supply, he said. Employees will be paid for the lost work time.

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