One rescue operation temporarily halted at Chilean mine

Patrick Oppmann
CNN

Copiapo, Chile (CNN) - Rescue officials reported Monday they had to temporarily stop one of two drilling operations to reach 33 men trapped for more than a month inside a Chilean mine.

That effort, known as Plan B, had to stop at a depth of 85 feet (26 meters) because of unspecified problems with a cable, officials said. Drilling should resume within hours, the officials said Monday morning.

Plan B aims to drill at a roughly 80 degree angle into an area of mine shaft used as a mechanical workshop. That distance, engineers estimate, is around 2,030 feet (620 meters).

The drill for Plan B, which is normally used to bore water holes, is untried technology in a mine rescue. The drill arrived Friday and rescuers hope it could reach the miners in as little as two months.

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