Authorities said military divers and emergency teams reached Francisco Zapata Nájera after pumping water from flooded galleries at the Santa Fe mine, which collapsed on 25 March.

President Claudia Sheinbaum called the rescue “incredible”, while officials confirmed that two other workers had died and that one miner had earlier been brought out alive.

The survival of a worker after almost two weeks underground brought rare relief in one of Mexico’s most dangerous industries.

The collapse was linked to a structural failure that reportedly caused water to flood the mine, trapping four men while 21 others escaped. Rescue crews worked day and night for two weeks with pumps, technical teams and support from the armed forces, before airlifting the survivor to hospital in Mazatlán for specialist care.

The accident has again raised questions about safety standards in Mexico’s mining sector, where fatal incidents remain common. In 2022, 10 miners died in the El Pinabete disaster in Coahuila, while the 2006 Pasta de Conchos explosion killed 65 workers in the country’s deadliest mining tragedy.