Elevator mishap traps 17 workers in New York salt mine

Rescuers worked through the night into yesterday to free 17 miners trapped in an elevator deep below ground in upstate New York, officials said.

The Ithaca Fire Department said on Facebook that it was helping with the "major rescue" at Cargill's Cayuga Salt Mine in Lansing.

The miners, trapped since about 10:00 pm Wednesday (0300 Thursday), have been stuck in a "malfunctioning" elevator at 900 feet (274 meters) down an access shaft, Cargill spokesman Mark Klein told AFP.

He said the elevator simply "stopped and became stuck" while the miners were on their way into the mine to begin their shift, noting that the mine floor is at 2,300 feet and the elevator has safety brakes.