3 rescuers killed trying to reach Utah miners

3 rescuers killed trying to reach Utah miners

"I am pushing for that to cease right now," Jon Huntsman told reporters early Friday morning. "Unless MSHA [the Mine Safety and Health Administration] and others can guarantee that it can continue safely with all involved, I think we need to be very, very careful."

But he said it is up to MSHA, which is managing the rescue efforts, to make the call. Six other workers were also injured, three seriously, in what officials called a seismic "bump".

Earlier, officials said they were considering suspending the below-ground part of the rescue effort. It has been halted for the time being.

The bump, which commonly refers to pressure inside the mine that shoots coal from the walls with great force, reportedly occurred at 8:39 p.m. ET Thursday at the Crandall Canyon mine. The same kind of bump caused the earlier cave-in, seismologists said.

It was recorded as a magnitude-1.6 seismic event at University of Utah seismograph stations in Salt Lake City, said university spokesman Lee Siegel.

It was not immediately clear where those who were injured were working or what they were doing when they were hurt. Crews have been drilling holes from the top of the mountain to try to find the miners, while others were tunnelling through a debris-filled entry to the mine.

It was a shocking setback on the 11th day of the effort to find the six trapped miners. It's unknown whether the men are still alive or whether they even survived the initial collapse.

Rescuers have said they are disheartened by the pace of their efforts.

Underground, the miners had advanced only 252 meters in nine days. Mining officials said conditions in the mine were treacherous and they were frequently forced to halt digging because of seismic activity.

Before Thursday's incident, workers still had about 365 meters to go to reach the area where they believe the trapped men had been working.

Seismic activity in the mine, located on a mountain near Huntington, caused landslides and forced rescuers to stop their work Wednesday night because of fears for their safety.

Bore hole delayed

Seismic activity struck again Thursday morning, delaying plans to drill a fourth bore hole into the mine.

The miners have been missing since a collapse August 6 at the mine, about 225 kilometers south of Salt Lake City. It is believed the miners are 457 meters underground.

On Wednesday night, video images from the third bore hole showed an intact mine chamber, with its roof and floor in place and its ventilation system unharmed. Water dripping into the chamber would be drinkable, said mine co-owner Bob Murray, chief of Murray Energy Corp.

Air quality samples taken from the chamber showed oxygen levels of about 16 per cent, Richard Stickler, head of MSHA, said earlier.

Normal oxygen levels are 21 percent, but 15 percent is high enough to support life, although it could cause people to have elevated heart and breathing rates, Stickler said. Previous readings have found oxygen levels in the mine as low as six per cent.

Noises were also detected Wednesday night by equipment used to monitor vibrations in the mine, Stickler said, but he warned it could be rocks breaking or even animals.