An unexpected incident occurred at the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour in Scranton, Pennsylvania, when the mine car lost power, leaving about 50 tourists stranded underground. The mine operators had to resort to using the emergency tube to evacuate the visitors back to the surface. No injuries were reported during the incident.
The emergency tube, which hadn't been used in about 15 years, was able to accommodate three to four people at a time. The entire rescue operation took approximately two hours to complete. Many of the tourists found the unexpected ride in the tube to be a surprising addition to their tour experience.
"A little scared because I didn't know what was happening," said Alex Cicippio of Philadelphia, one of the tourists who experienced the emergency evacuation. "There was some sort of mechanical error, and we had to come up through the emergency capsule."(wnep.com)
The mine operators have not disclosed the exact cause of the mechanical failure but have assured that they are working to identify and fix the issue. The mine car is expected to be out of service for a short period while repairs are made.
This incident marks the first time in over a decade that the emergency tube has been used for evacuation. The last time it was used was due to a broken axle on the mine car.
Photo: Tyler Stableford / Stone / Getty Images