Saudi deputy FM meets Sudan's Sovereign Council chief in Port Sudan    Kuwait, India to elevate bilateral relations to strategic partnership Sheikh Mishal awards Mubarak Al-Kabir Medal to Modi    MoH to penalize 5 health practitioners for professional violations    Al-Samaani: Saudi Arabia to work soon on a comprehensive review of the legal system    Environment minister inaugurates Yanbu Grain Handling Terminal    Germany's attack suspect reportedly offered reward to target Saudi ambassador    U.S. Navy jet shot down in 'friendly fire' incident over Red Sea    Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 20 people, including five children    Trudeau's leadership under threat as NDP withdraws support, no-confidence vote looms    Arabian Gulf Cup begins with dramatic draws and a breathtaking ceremony in Kuwait    GACA report: 928 complaints filed by passengers against airlines in November    Riyadh Season 5 draws record number of over 12 million visitors    Fury vs. Usyk: Anticipation builds ahead of Riyadh's boxing showdown    Saudi Arabia to compete in 2025 and 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments    Marianne Jean-Baptiste on Oscars buzz for playing 'difficult' woman    PDC collaboration with MEDLOG Saudi to introduce new cold storage facilities in King Abdullah Port Investment of SR300 million to enhance logistics capabilities in Saudi Arabia    Al Shabab announces departure of coach Vítor Pereira    My kids saw my pain on set, says Angelina Jolie    Legendary Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain dies at 73    Eminem sets Riyadh ablaze with unforgettable debut at MDLBEAST Soundstorm    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Attempt to reach 6 trapped in Utah mine will take 3 days, owner says; progress 'too slow'
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 07 - 08 - 2007


Efforts to reach six coal miners
trapped more than 1,500 feet (457 meters) underground will
take at least three days, and rescuers were not even sure
the men had survived the cave-in, one of the mine's owners
said Tuesday, according to AP.
Crews worked through the night in shifts, with teams
coming and going along the road leading to the Crandall
Canyon mine in a forested canyon.
«The Lord has already decided whether they're alive or
dead,» said Robert E. Murray, chairman of Murray Energy
Corp. of Cleveland, a part owner of the Crandall Canyon
mine. «But it's up to Bob Murray and my management to get
access to them as quickly as we can.»
If all goes well, it will still take three days to reach
the chamber where the miners are believed to be, he said.
Even then, rescuers will have only a 2-inch (5 centimeter)
hole into the chamber through which to communicate with the
miners and provide them food or air, he said.
Little was known about the six miners. Only one has been
identified, but Mexico's consul in Salt Lake City, Salvador
Jimenez, said three of the men are Mexican citizens.
Jimenez said he did not know any details about the men,
including whether they are U.S. residents, their ages or
hometowns.
Crews moved only 310 feet (95 meters) closer to the miners
in the first 30 hours after the cave-in, Murray said.
Attempts were halted overnight after a «bump» in which
coal was dislodged from the mine's ribs, said Al Davis, an
official with the federal Mine Safety and Health
Administration.
«They're digging as much as they can, even with their
hands,» said Julie Jones, a city councilwoman whose son,
Elam, works at the mine.
The trapped miners were believed to be in a chamber 3.4
miles inside the mine. Rescuers were able to reach a point
about 1,700 feet (518 meters) from that point before being
blocked by debris.
«Right now I can't say if it's looking any better,»
weary miner Leland Lobato said around dawn. «They're doing
what they can to keep everybody as fresh as possible so
nobody gets tired.»
Two C-130s from the 911th Airlift Wing of the Air Reserve
in Pittsburgh were being sent seismic equipment and staff,
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
Murray said there were 30 pieces of «massive» mining
equipment in place and 134 people dedicated to the rescue.
He insisted that an earthquake caused the cave-in and
angrily denied that a dangerous method called retreat
mining was taking place at the time.
In that method, pillars of coal are used to hold up an
area of the mine's roof. When that area is completely
mined, pillars are pulled to get access to useful coal,
causing an intentional collapse.
«The pillars were not being removed here at the time of
the accident. There are eight solid pillars around where
the men are right now,» Murray said.
University of Utah seismograph stations recorded seismic
waves of 3.9 magnitude Monday, though scientists said it
was unclear if the collapse caused the earthquake or the
quake came first.
The mine is built into a mountain in the rugged Manti-La
Sal National Forest, 140 miles (225 kilometers) south of
Salt Lake City, in a sparsely populated area.
Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon said 90 percent of the
community is tied to coal mining or energy production.
«This affects everybody, not just six families,» he
said.
Government mine inspectors have issued 325 citations
against the mine since January 2004, according to a quick
analysis of federal Mine Safety and Health Administration
online records. Of those, 116 were what the government
considered «significant and substantial,» meaning they
are likely to cause injury.
The 325 safety violations is not unusual, said J. Davitt
McAteer, former head of the MSHA and now vice president of
Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.
«It's not perfect but it's certainly not bad,» McAteer
said.
This year, inspectors have issued 32 citations against the
mine, 14 of them considered significant.
Emery County, the state's No. 2 coal-producer, also was
the site of a fire that killed 27 people in the Wilburg
mine in December 1984.


Clic here to read the story from its source.