The last four miners were trapped deep beneath the Totten mine near Sudbury, Ontario. The company that owns the mine said it climbed the road to safety early Wednesday morning.
Vale said rescue operations had been completed after seeing 39 workers climb a series of ladders.
“This is tremendous news coming from a very difficult situation,” Vale CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo said in a statement.
“All of us at Vale have focused and committed to the safe return of our employees to the basement.”
The last miner arrived at the surface just before 5 am, according to company spokesman Jeff Lewis.
“Everyone is overjoyed,” Lewis said.
“Final fours are fine and happy to be back with their loved ones.”
He said the last miner was taken to an ambulance as a precautionary measure, but “was in an ambulance and slammed his fist at the mine rescue team in a warm room.”
The CEO of a Brazilian company in the mine praised the team that saved the workers.
“I want to congratulate the rescue team,” Vale CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo said in a statement.
“Taking 39 employees to a safe and healthy home was our number one priority. We are pleased that our emergency plans and procedures have helped bring about that result. All employees are now safe and deserve deep respect for their patience and strong will. “
Workers were trapped in the mine on Sunday when the underground scoop bucket was removed and the mine shaft was blocked.
The company said some of the miners were trapped to a depth of 1200 meters above the surface.
They needed to scale a series of ladders to climb from the mine and were helped by rescue teams.
Rescue operations began on Monday night.
The company’s rescue team and a team of 58 respondents from the Ontario Mine Rescue Agency helped trapped workers through a long trek up the ladder system, the company said.
Bartolomeo said he would begin an investigation into what happened, “so that the company could learn from it and take steps to prevent it from happening again.”
According to Vale, workers stayed in underground “shelters” and were able to get food, water and medicine before climbing.
The state’s Ministry of Labor Training and Skills Development said an inspection team would investigate the case.
Tottenmine opened in 2014 in Warsington, Ontario and produces copper, nickel and precious metals. It has about 200 employees.
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