Search setback will leave miners stranded for week (Roundup)

Aug 8, 2007, 18:23 GMT

   Washington - Rescuers will need at least one more week to rescue six miners trapped underground following a coal mine cave-in in the western US state of Utah, the mine's owner said Wednesday.

   Efforts to reach the men were halted following seismic activity indicating that a further collapse was possible. But Bob Murray, whose company operates the mine, said that drilling activities were resumed Wednesday morning.

'The seismic activity has subsided and we are now well under way for a rescue operation,' he said. 'It cannot be done in less than a week and it will likely take more.'

All attempts to reach the six men have so far have been unsuccessful and it is still not known whether they are dead or alive.

Murray said that crews were making progress on drilling a 5 centimetre hole some 500 metres down into the cavity where the miners are believed to be trapped. The hole could be used for ventilation and communication and to send liquids down to the miners. In two days if rescuers continue at this pace, that hole will be down to where we want it to be, Murray said. He cautioned however that because of the relative inaccuracy of the drill positioning system the hole could miss the cavity.

Progress was also being made on a larger hole, which should also reach the cavity, with greater accuracy, within two day, Murray said.

The seismic readings increased the tension between the mine's combative owner, who claims the initial collapse Monday was caused by an earthquake, and scientists who said that the heavy tremors that coincided with the disaster were likely the mine collapsing. The incident has also focused attention on risky mining practices in which the roof of a mine is deliberately caved in in order to extract all the possible coal.