Posted on 08/17/2007 6:19:20 AM PDT by kellynla
The problem-plagued effort to rescue six miners trapped in a Utah coal mine suffered its most grave setback Thursday night, when a seismic shudder sent rock tumbling onto rescue workers, killing three and injuring six, authorities said.
The mountain "bump" occurred about 6:30 p.m., as the group of more than 100 rescue workers continued to carefully tunnel through the collapsed Crandall Canyon Mine. Since Aug. 6, when a predawn cave-in buried the miners, regular seismic tremors have slowed the dig to a virtual crawl.
There has been no indication of whether the trapped miners are alive, and officials emphasized that the rescuers were digging slowly to minimize risk. The tremors have been so bad that a dozen rescuers asked to be reassigned last week.
"All rescue workers have been evacuated from the mine," said Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Officials said that the injured included two members of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which is overseeing the effort to rescue the trapped miners.
Jeff Manley, chief executive of Castleview Hospital in nearby Price, told reporters six rescuers were brought there. One died, one was released, one was airlifted to another hospital and three were being treated, he said.
At a medical center in Provo, one rescuer died and one was in critical condition. The third death was confirmed by Rich Kulczewski, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor, but more details were not immediately available.
Price Mayor Joe Piccolo said: "It's a devastating blow to what was already a tragic situation. It's a very stressful part of the way of life that's been known here for years."
Seismologists registered a 3.9 tremor when the mine collapsed Aug. 6. Scientists say they believe that reading was caused by the cave-in.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
bttt
The mountain does not want to give up those men.
So far this morning, I’ve seen SIX “Bush Killed Them!!” posts on other boards.
And it’s only 930EST....
We are holding the trapped miners and rescuers and their families and their community in our prayers. I can only imagine how it felt for them to have to walk away from the rescue attempt.
For me, it's been a reminder that no matter how advanced we are, the Creation is mightier.
Prayers for all.
so sad
ha.. and FR is called a 'hate site'?
The world is upside down and crazy!!
Awful. Just awful.
Prayers.
Hasn’t this long passed the “rescue” phase and is into a “recovery” phase?
Sad to have learned this morning that it was a relative of the oldest trapped miner who died during rescue attempts.
I watched a lot of the coverage during the night last night. I got the distinct impression that the govenor does NOT want underground rescue attempts to continue. If that becomes the consensus, I think things are going to get very heated. There was a whole lot of talk about investigations into the cause of the first collapse, miners who had complained to their families over the last few weeks about mine “shifting” and safety, but were afraid to say more and risk loosing their jobs. Which makes me wonder if family members are being hushed up even now.
Things are going to come to a head. The tough questions are yet to be asked and answered. In fact, I’d like to know if the Mexican nationals were being employed illegally and whether or not there were language communication problems. If so, what if any role did that play in any on-going safety risk?
Not yet.
The CEO continues to say that depending on where they are located, there is still plenty of good air and water.
Boy, this just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn’t it?
When does the finger pointing and blame start? The Media has been surprisingly restrained in that area in this case for some reason.
Prayers Up for those men and their families.
Anyone read any Tawny O’Dell? She’s written two good books (fiction) about growing up in a mining town, based on her own experiences as a kid growing up in one. It’s a pretty stark reality. Lots of fatherless kids left behind to fend for themselves in that kind of life.
Prayers for the miners and their families, friends and rescuers.
OK Bally, please give us your rendition of why the mine owner should be jailed.
I'd be interested in that, too. I saw the owner on Fox a few times, and it was clear his primary concern was for the trapped miners and their families.
Some union hack on Fox this morning said that because the rescuers aren't unionized, they may have felt "forced" to participate in the rescue or lose their jobs. That's a particularly stupid comment in light of the fact that some of the rescuers are family members of those who are trapped.
Prayers for all of those lost or at risk in this catastrophe, and for their families.
If you read the post closely, Bally says the IF the mine owner is re-enacting the movie, THEN he should go to jail.
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13
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