The Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed the successful rescue of 80 workers who were temporarily trapped following a partial gallery collapse at the Cerro de Maimón mine in the Dominican Republic. Crucially, all personnel emerged unharmed from the incident.
The event, a landslide that partially obstructed a gallery at the Chinese-owned Corporación Minera Dominicana (Cormidom) operation—which extracts copper and zinc—occurred on Tuesday, 21 October 2025 in the afternoon. Following the collapse, the 80 workers were isolated in an underground section.
No injuries or communication issues were reported among the isolated workers.
The mining company immediately activated its emergency and evacuation plan. The first group of workers reached the surface at 3:21pm, with the last of the 80 exiting the mine by 4:30pm.
Government authorities, including the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the General Mining Agency, and the Emergency Operations Center (COE), were promptly notified and maintained close coordination with the operating company throughout the response.
All personnel have now been moved to a safe zone and brought to the surface following established procedures.
The company is currently focused on stabilizing the affected area before resuming normal transit for personnel and equipment. Rolando Muñoz, the Director General of Mining, was on-site to conduct a technical inspection and oversee the evaluation process.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines stated that once the stability of the rock mass is secured, an exhaustive investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the event and implement the necessary corrective measures.
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N Digital
El Caribe
22 October 2025