Another mine accident:
Rescue is a least three days away for six coal miners who are trapped inside a shaft deep within the earth, according to the president of the company that owns the mine. It is not known whether the miners are still alive.
“It will take three days if everything goes right,” said Robert Murray of Murray Energy Corporation of Cleveland, the mine owner.
Mr. Murray said he was “disappointed” with the progress of the rescue, after a relief crew attempting to reach them faster had to be withdrawn last night because of unstable conditions underground.
The crew had reopened a closed shaft in hopes of reaching the remote section where the miners were believed to be trapped, but were driven back after making scant progress.
As an alternative, a helicopter carried a drilling rig to the mountain directly above where the miners are believed to be. The rig will be used to drill a hole downward that is 2 inches in diameter. That, too, will take three days, Mr.Murray said.
While far too small for a rescue, the hole can be used to establish communications and supply the miners with air and food.
The possibility of being trapped alive for days in a pit while slowly asyphixiating is truly terrifying.