LIMA, April 9 (UPI) -- The Peruvian government will do all it can to rescue nine miners trapped in a gold and copper mine since last week, the Peruvian Cabinet leader said Monday.
Oscar Valdes Dancuart, president of the Council of Ministers, said he was coordinating efforts to get food to the miners and the government was working with local police and rescue authorities to try to free the miners who have been trapped since the mine collapse in Yauca del Rosario Thursday, the state-run Adina news agency reported.
Valdes also said Minister of Energy and Mines Jorge Merino is working with nearby companies to share their expertise.
"Peru and the state are in solidarity with the lives of these fellow citizens. We are all together to rescue these nine lives," Valdes said during a news briefing. "We want to rescue [them] as soon [as possible], but the engineer in charge of the rescue said it would be in one or two days."
Rescuers snaked a special tube to the miners to supply them with air, food and water, Adina reported miner Jacatina Jesus told his wife in a message.
"All quiet, thank goodness -- thank God everybody is happy … but always praying to God to rescue us from here," he said.
It was not clear what caused the cave-in.
