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Three people were trapped deep underground on Thursday following an accident at a potash mine in the northeastern Catalonia region, Spanish firefighters said.
“Three people are trapped at a depth of about 900 metres (2,950 feet) and we are working with the company on how to conduct the rescue operation,” a spokesman told AFP.
The accident happened just before 9:00 am (0800 GMT) at a mine in Suria about 75 kilometres (46 miles) northwest of Barcelona, after there was “a collapse” in one of the galleries, the regional police said.
Police said they had sent in a team of specialists to help with the rescue operation, including a dog unit, while the emergency services dispatched two medicalised helicopters and a team of psychologists to the area.
The mine is owned by ICL Iberia, the Spanish arm of Israel’s ICL Group, which specialises in fertilisers and chemicals.