Reuters AlertNet Lite - Utah mine rescuers downplay underground noises

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Utah mine rescuers downplay underground noises

16 Aug 2007 19:20:10 GMT
Source: Reuters

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Rescuers who had raised hopes of finding six miners alive in a collapsed Utah coal mine after hearing sounds from underground downplayed those noises on Thursday.

But Crandall Canyon Mine co-owner Robert Murray said that the cavity found by a third bore hole had enough oxygen to sustain life indefinitely and that his crews would keep up efforts to contact the missing men.

Murray on Wednesday evening called it a "sign of hope" that listening equipment dropped through the third hole had detected a series of noises. The miners have not been heard from since the central Utah mine caved in on Aug. 6.

He was more downbeat at a press conference on Thursday morning.

"Those sounds could have been anything, and we've said that from the beginning," he said, adding that the sensitive microphones could have picked up the sound of water, animals or even someone walking on the surface.

Rescue crews were preparing to drill a fourth hole into the mine. Meanwhile, work on a tunnel that could eventually get them out was proceeding slowly because of seismic activity.

It is not yet clear what caused the mine to collapse. Murray has said that it was triggered by an earthquake despite disagreement from geologists.

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Last updated:Thu Aug 16 19:21:54 2007