Families of Mexican miners reject new rescue strategy after weeks of going underground

When asked if the family had been offered compensation by the government, Lopez Obrador did not deny the possibility of payment.

“Now the most important thing is rescue. Of course there is compensation, but it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Lopez Obrador added that both efforts to save the miners and compensation to their families are being considered. “We are looking for which option is the best, and there is an instruction not to give up,” he said.

Mexico’s civil protection coordinator Laura Velázquez said on Monday that several flooded shafts at the mine had high water depths, reaching up to 31 meters (101 feet).

Responder efforts to drain the mine helped lower overall water levels, until a rupture in an adjacent mine caused water to back up.

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to rescue the miners yet… We were already moving forward, but with bad luck, another hole opened in a neighboring mine and flooded it. , the water level has risen again,” López Obrador said at the time.