A second drill broke through to a Utah mine shaft today and a video camera was lowered inside, searching for the fate of six miners believed to be trapped nearly 2,000 feet below.

TEAMS of rescuers frantically cleared debris from underground tunnels yesterday, trying to reach six US coal miners trapped by a cave-in beneath more than 1,500 feet of solid rock.

Hundreds of rescuers smashed through walls of rock in a desperate race to reach six coal miners trapped 1,500 feet below ground by a cave-in so powerful authorities initially thought it was an earthquake.