By PAUL FOY, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago
The desperate underground drive to reach six trapped miners will be suspended indefinitely after a catastrophic cave-in killed three rescuers inside a mountainside mine, a federal official said Friday.
The announcement from Richard Stickler, head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, came after a cave-in Thursday killed three rescue workers and injured at least six others who were trying to tunnel through rubble to reach them.
"Is there any possible way we can continue this underground operation and provide safety for the rescue workers? At this point we don't have an answer," Stickler said.
He said mine-safety experts were being summoned to central Utah to discuss the crisis.
Outside the mountain, crews were drilling a fourth hole for any sign of the six men, whose survival status still was unknown on the 12th day of confinement, 1,500 feet below ground.
"Without question, we have suffered a setback and we have incurred an incredible loss, but this team remains focused on the task at hand" the rescue of the miners, said Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy Corp., co-owner of the mine.
Said Gov. Jon Huntsman: "Yesterday we went from a tragedy to a catastrophe."
He said the state would help federal official in the investigation into the collapse.
"We have questions, too, and we want answers to those questions. We want to make sure that the lives that were lost last night were not in vain," Huntsman said.
The collapse Thursday evening was a devastating turn for the families of the six men trapped in the initial Aug. 6 collapse at the Crandall Canyon mine and for the relatives of those trying to rescue them. All rescue workers were evacuated from the mine Thursday evening and work underground was stopped.
The cave-in at 6:39 p.m. was believed to be caused by what seismologists call a "mountain bump," in which shifting ground forces chunks of rock from the walls. Seismologists say such a bump caused the Aug. 6 cave-in that trapped the six men more than 3 miles inside the central Utah mine.
The force from the bump registered a 1.6 at the University of Utah seismograph stations in Salt Lake City, said university spokesman Lee Siegel. It was the 20th reading at the university since the original collapse, which registered a 3.9 on Aug. 6.
"These events seem to be related to ongoing settling of the rock mass following the main event," Siegel said Friday morning. "I don't think I'm going too far to say that this mountain is collapsing in slow motion."
The initial collapse led to the frenetic effort by rescuers to dig through the mine toward the men and drill narrow holes atop the mountain in an attempt to learn their whereabouts and perhaps drop food and water.
Underground, rescuers had advanced only 826 feet in nine days. Before Thursday's cave-in, workers still had about 1,200 feet to go to reach the area where they believe the trapped men had been working.
Mining officials said conditions in the mine were treacherous, and they were frequently forced to halt digging because of seismic activity.
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-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
It is tragic and sad. I feel for the miners, rescuers, and their families. It never ceases to amaze me the frequency with which these mining incidents occur.
__________________
-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
It is tragic and sad. I feel for the miners, rescuers, and their families. It never ceases to amaze me the frequency with which these mining incidents occur.
I wonder if they are happening more frequently, or with 3 24 hour news channel, if we are just hearing about them much more often.
I went amateur caving last year, just to try it out. It is really very scary - the complete change of environment and knowing you are at the mercy of nature is a daunting experience. I loved doing it, but I could never seriously get into it knowing the risks. I can't begin to imagine how miners do it for a job, every day...going so deep underground!
__________________
-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
