Reuters AlertNet Lite - Utah mine rescuers to drill fifth hole

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Utah mine rescuers to drill fifth hole

19 Aug 2007 20:21:21 GMT
Source: Reuters

HUNTINGTON, Utah, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Rescuers will start drilling a fifth hole into a collapsed Utah coal mine later on Sunday as hopes faded of finding alive six miners trapped for nearly two weeks.

"It's possible they may not be found," Rob Moore, vice president of mine co-owner Murray Energy, said at a news conference on Sunday.

The six men have not been heard from since the Crandall Canyon Mine collapsed on Aug. 6 and tunneling to find them was halted after three rescuers were killed in a cave-in on Thursday.

It will take until at least Wednesday for the fifth bore hole to reach 2,039 feet (621 meters) below the surface into the mine, Rob Moore said.

Moore did not hold out much hope that the fifth attempt to find the missing miners would be any more successful than previous attempts or that if they have already died that their bodies would ever be found.

"It's likely we'll see similar results there. We can't say that with certainty," Moore told reporters.

A microphone and video camera dropped over 1,600 feet (488 meters) into the fourth drill hole over the weekend did not detect any signs of life and found low oxygen levels in the mine.

"The results of the fourth bore hole are disappointing," Moore said. "Obviously, the air readings there do not suggest that they are sufficient to support life."

Richard Stickler, head of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, told the news conference that a crew of mining experts from Pittsburgh would evaluate the feasibility of again attempting to have rescuers go underground.

Stickler said the mountain where the six men were trapped "continues to be active, continues to move."

The three rescuers were killed when pressure from the mountain above caused rock and coal to explode from the walls of the mine.

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Last updated:Sun Aug 19 20:21:56 2007