Efforts to free US coal miners continue

Efforts to free six coal miners trapped when a Utah mine collapsed nine days ago continued today, with mine officials hoping to break through a third bore hole that might finally yield some evidence of the men.

Drilling started on the 1,415-foot-deep hole late on Monday, and is about 1,300 feet west of a second hole drilled late last week.

Ghostly video images from that cavern showed piles of rubble, including fallen coal and abandoned equipment.

Meanwhile, frustrations mounted over the slow pace of the digging and more questions arose over whether the company had engaged in risky mining methods that may have left parts of the mine dangerously unstable.

Some mining companies consider the “retreat mining” methods used at Crandall Canyon so dangerous they will leave behind coal rather than risk the safety of their workers.

Video images taken yesterday morning showed miners working to clear a heavily damaged mine shaft.

They were only a third of the way to the presumed location of the trapped miners.

A mining executive estimated the digging would take up to another week.