Rescue Operations Complete at Lansing Salt Mine

17 miners trapped hundreds of feet underground at the Cargill Salt Mine in Lansing, north of Ithaca, in Tompkins County for ten hours have been rescued.

At around 8:30 a.m. Cargill officials reported all miners had been brought to the surface and are fine.

The workers reportedly became stuck when an elevator stopped working at 11:40 p.m. January 6.

A crane was used to bring the miners up in small groups.

Officials say the miners were given heat packs and blankets overnight to keep warm.  None of the workers was injured.

The Cargill Salt Mine is said to be the deepest salt mine in the Western Hemisphere.

It ships 2 million tons of road salt to municipalities throughout the northeast.

It also supplies salt to other big consumers like ice cream producers.

The company website says the mine began operations in 1922.