New Questions Arise About Mine Stability

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By PAUL FOY and JENNIFER TALHELM

HUNTINGTON, Utah (AP) - As frustration mounts over the slow pace of the digging to free six trapped miners, more questions arose Tuesday about whether risky mining methods may have left parts of the coal mine dangerously unstable.


A unidentified woman is seen walking from a junior high where relatives of six trapped miners meet daily for updates on the rescue efforts at the Crandall Canyon Mine Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007, in Huntington, Utah. Video images taken early Tuesday showed miners doing more repair than rescue work to a heavily damaged mine shaft. They were only a third of the way to the presumed location of the trapped miners eight days after a thunderous collapse blew out the walls of mine shafts. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Some mining companies consider the "retreat mining" methods used at Utah's Crandall Canyon so dangerous, they will leave behind coal rather than risk the safety of their workers.

Video images taken early Tuesday 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 - eight days after a thunderous collapse blew out the walls of mine shafts.

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


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070815/D8R14DCO1.html

[bluerum]

1. Old questions - new idiots. eom

[spinbaby]

2. I'm surprised by how much caved in

From the news reports, it's beginning to sound like most of the mine fell in rather than a localized cave in. I can't imagine that sort of thing is normal in any way.