Rescuers fight to free the 10 miners trapped in Mexico for more than a week

(CNN) –– Rescuers in Mexico continue to work to reach the 10 miners who have been trapped for more than a week at the Sabinas mine in Coahuila state.

Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Civil Protection of Mexico, explained at a press conference this Friday that the work has lasted more than 207 continuous hours to try to free the miners.

“It was necessary to have adequate water levels that would not put the rescuers at risk. We are getting there. I mentioned that we are already at 97% water extraction, so we already have all the conditions to go down (to the mine). today. All morning they removed material to enter the search and rescue now, “he said.

“Now we can enter the three wells and have the necessary resources ready to start the search and rescue work,” he added.

On Thursday night, efforts to free the miners failed when the rescue team and a diver encountered obstacles that made it impossible to reach them. This was explained by Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Secretary of National Defense of Mexico, who added that four attempts to descend were made that day. “We hope that today (Friday) they can already have sufficient levels to be able to carry out the rescue,” he added.

The team and the diver tried to explore and check the conditions inside the mine, but the view was obstructed, according to a CNN en Español team on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s Office requested a judicial hearing to charge the alleged owner of the El Pinabete mine. According to a statement from the agency this Thursday, the alleged owner, named Cristian “S”, is accused of having been involved “in the illegal exploitation of the subsoil” and of failing to comply with “the obligations that the law imposes on those who carry out such activities”. CNN has contacted the Minera El Pinabete company, but has not yet received an official response.