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.
The first effort, called Plan A, involves using a drill placed directly above the shelter where the miners have found refuge. Engineers say the drill would need to reach a distance of about 2,300 feet (700 meters). They have estimated this plan would take between three to four months to complete.
CNN
