José Alejandro Cástulo Colín, 44, was rescued alive on Monday, March 30, after over 130 hours trapped at 300 meters depth in the Santa Fe mine, El Rosario, Sinaloa. The collapse happened on March 25 due to a failure in the waterproofing layer, with three miners still trapped. Federal and state authorities coordinate rescue efforts with over 300 personnel.
The collapse at the Santa Fe mine, in Chele locality, El Rosario municipality, Sinaloa, occurred on Wednesday, March 25, while 25 workers were excavating. A critical failure in the waterproofing layer of a tailings dam caused it, trapping four miners at about 300 meters depth, while 21 escaped on their own. Authorities were notified on March 26 and immediately activated federal protocols.
José Alejandro Cástulo Colín, from Angangueo, Michoacán, was the first rescued at 00:25 on Monday, March 30, by emergency brigades. Transferred by helicopter to Mazatlán General Hospital, he is recovering well and may be discharged Tuesday or Wednesday. At the hospital, he told reporters: “No, no never had fear, I just thought: whatever God wills.” He stayed silent, hearing noises after one or two days, with mud up to his stomach.
Rescue brigades, with nearly 300 personnel and 42 units, continue uninterrupted operations coordinated by the Unified Command, including the Secretariat of National Defense, Secretariat of the Navy, National Civil Protection Coordination, and Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. Specialists from the Federal Electricity Commission and rescuers from Grupo Frisco in Chihuahua have joined. They operate under optimal ventilation at 25 degrees Celsius, advancing 1.5 kilometers despite muddy material.
Sinaloa Health Secretary Cuitláhuac González stated that biological conditions vary and it is impossible to specify how long a person can endure such circumstances. The miners had food and water before the incident, raising hopes for the remaining three.
