THREE of the four men trapped underground in a caved-in gold mine in southwestern Ecuador have been found dead, official sources said today.
Men missing in Ecuador mine cave-in
Miners are feared trapped underground after a cave-in at an Ecuadorean gold mine.

The status of the fourth miner remained unknown.
One of those killed was Walter Vera, 31, the head of the group of men trapped 150m below ground early on Friday after a collapse blocked their exit from the Casa Negra mine.

Mr Vera was trapped in the mine with his brother Angel, a machine operator, and two other miners, said officials with both the Government and Minesadco, the Ecuadoran company that operates the mine.

News that the men were trapped came shortly after Chile completed its historic, successful rescue of 33 miners who had been stuck underground in the San Jose mine for a record period of nearly 10 weeks.

[b]Was this the same incident where 33 miners were rescued? Im sure being trapped inside the cave or mine is not a walk in the park. It takes courage and faith to get you through the ordeal. I salute these brave miners.