9 rescuers hurt after seismic 'bump' at Utah mine where collapse trapped miners

[Joanie Baloney]

Source: AP via San Diego UT

By Paul Foy
ASSOCIATED PRESS

8:52 p.m. August 16, 2007


HUNTINGTON, Utah – A seismic “bump” in a coal mine injured nine people working to find trapped miners, sending at least four rescue workers to hospitals, authorities said.

One rescue worker was in very serious condition at Castleview Hospital, and two were in serious condition there, said Jeff Manley, hospital chief executive.

At least one rescue worker was flown from the Crandall Canyon mine to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, said Jess Gomez, a spokesman for Salt Lake City's LDS Hospital, which dispatches medical helicopters in Utah.

“It is believed that the accident was caused by a bump. ... We are in the process of doing a head count to ensure that everyone is accounted for,” said Dirk Fillpot, spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration.



Read more: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070816-2052-utahminecollapse.html

---

One rescuer has died according to MSNBC.

Good Lord.

JB

[Az_lefty]

1. What in the world is going on up there????

seismic bump???

[Joanie Baloney]

2. Yeah

Here's the explanation from the article:

A bump commonly refers to pressure inside the mine that shoots coal from the walls with great force, which seismologists believe caused the Aug. 6 cave-in that trapped six men inside the central Utah mine.

[tabasco]

17. A "seismic bump" is a mine collapse.

Since we have a corporate media, we want to make people think it was some kind of earthquake, rather than unsafe mines.

Wouldn't want the working class to get their underwear bunched up, would we?

"Seismic bump" was being repeated on CNN and MSNBC without explanation.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. Read this DU thread about the big facts on that

Hat tip to Maddy McCall!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1604763

[whistle]

3. How in all good conscience can the Atomic Energy Commission think of storing

...thosands of tonnes of nuclear waste material in those mountains as proposed with this experience of mine/ground instability?

http://www.downwinders.org/utah.html

[piedmont]

15. Different mountains, made of different rocks, with waaay different risks.

No one's planning to put nuclear waste down a coal mine.

[Poll_Blind]

4. A "bump" as defined by the article:

A bump commonly refers to pressure inside the mine that shoots coal from the walls with great force, which seismologists believe caused the Aug. 6 cave-in that trapped six men inside the central Utah mine.

  Sounds deadly.

PB

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. One rescue worker has died!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070817/ap_on_re_us/utah_mine_collapse

Rescue worker killed at Utah mine

HUNTINGTON, Utah - A disastrous cave-in Thursday night killed a rescue worker and injured eight others who were trying to tunnel through rubble to reach six trapped miners, authorities said.

It was a shocking setback on the 11th day of the effort to find miners who have been confined at least 1,500 feet below ground at the Crandall Canyon mine. It's unknown whether the six are alive or dead.

"All rescue workers have been evacuated from the mine. Nine rescue workers were injured in the accident. One of those suffered fatal injuries," said Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

more at link

[AlCzervik]

8. it's 2 now that have died. it's getting worse by the hour.

[Renew Deal]

9. So terribly sad.

Now we know for sure that someone has died at that mine. What a tragedy.

[madrchsod]

7. according to someone on msnbc tonight

that it was`t a bump but a collapse of the roof or a pillar holding up the roof...

[aquart]

11. Of course it was.

They keep trying to blame the original collapse on a quake but the quake was caused by the collapse BECAUSE OF UNSAFE MINING PRACTICES. Same reason for this collapse.

Burn in hell, Murray.

[anitar1]

10. I read a few days ago that the type of mining they do

is very dangerous. The owners practice is to strip every bit of coal, even though it is dangerous and can cause the walls to collapse. According to what I read , this mine owners' practice has been noted before. Very sad for the folks who need those mining jobs. They put their lives on the line because of a greedy owner. He is not the only one , I am sure.

[mike_c]

12. geologic question...

What was the source of the "seismic bump?" I mean, geologists have been saying all along that analyses of the seismic data do not support a tectonic origin for the original collapse, and that the seismic trace was in fact the signature of the collapse itself. So what was the origin of this bump?

[Liberal Veteran]

18. "Seismic bump" = Murray doublespeak

It's kind of a way of saying "cave in" in such a way as to make people think it was some natural event.

In short, Murray is a sick fuck who is more interested in saving his ass and fortune than anything else.

[Posteritatis]

55. "Bump" is a very old mining term

If someone mentions "the Bump" in my neck of the woods, everyone knows they're referring to a mining disaster back in the fifties. I doubt there's a miner in the English-speaking world who's unfamiliar with the term.

[drm604]

13. According to MSNBC 3 have now died. n/t

[Eugene]

14. AP: 3 Rescue Workers Killed at Utah Mine

Source: Associated Press

3 Rescue Workers Killed at Utah Mine

Friday August 17, 2007 8:01 AM

By PAUL FOY

Associated Press Writer

HUNTINGTON, Utah (AP) - A disastrous cave-in
Thursday night killed three rescue workers and injured
at least six others who were trying to tunnel through
rubble to reach trapped miners, authorities said. Mining
officials were considering whether to suspend the
rescue effort.

-snip-

Six of the injured were taken to Castleview Hospital in
Price. One died there, one was airlifted to a Salt Lake
City hospital, one was released and three were being
treated, said Jeff Manley, the hospital's chief executive.

The second dead worker passed away at Utah Valley
Regional Medical Center in Provo, said hospital
spokeswoman Janet Frank. Another worker there was
in critical condition with head trauma but was alert,
she said.

The third death was confirmed by Rich Kulczewski,
spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor, but
additional details were not immediately available.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6856388,00.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. Seismic is a lie

I watched a bit of CNN this morning; a seismologist from the University of Utah was explaining that there is a distinct, measurable and confirmable difference between a cave-in and an earthquake, and that this was most definitely NOT an earthquake.

[mikeytherat]

19. Cave-in kills three Utah mine rescue workers

Source: UK Guardian

Three rescue workers were killed and at least another six were injured today when they attempted to reach a group of miners trapped underground for more than a week in the US state of Utah.
Officials were poised to suspend rescue efforts at the mine after the searchers were caught in a cave-in as they were tunnelling through rubble.

The deaths occurred on the 11th day of a rescue operation to find six miners who are trapped 1,500 feet (450 metres) underground at the Crandall Canyon mine, situated about 100 miles south-east of Salt Lake City. It is not known if the miners are alive or dead.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2150798,00.html

---

mikey_the_rat

[NashVegas]

20. Ouch Ouch Ouch

:(

[thunder rising]

21. They never re-opened that worthless pit, they just put a sign in front

of it. At the bottom of this mine lies a big man ....

Hey look, Jenna's getting married. Is she pregnant?

[calimary]

22. DAMN.

DAMN.

:cry:

[izzie]

23. Went on a tour of a mine in Can. once scary place.

In this mine the man said they went to work 5 miles into the ocean before they got to the vain. It was a mine that had a big kill years ago and I once met a man who said his father had been killed in it. To this day I do not know why I even went on the tour.

[Tesha]

29. So you would understand more-fully today's news.

> To this day I do not know why I even went on the tour.

So you would understand more-fully today's news.

Tesha

[izzie]

36. I am not sure. I once walked out doors on top of the world trade

building. Yes you could do that as I did. 1979 I found that one scary place also. I did stay inside and view the sun set over NYC and the lights come on and that took my breath away with the greatest of being able to do such a thing. How the miners lived and died in this mine was just sad and inside it was very scary to me. I recall the man telling me I would have made a good miner as I was short and many veins were low and tall men had to bend to work in them all day long after a good two hours of a ride just to get to the face of the coal. That had to make one hell of a days work for any man. I could have stood up right so lucky. Yar sure. It must have been a hell of a life for these men and their families. It was up around Glace Bay and I think it was called the Springhill I think mine but I may be wrong. I do not even want to think of pit pony's and women that once had to pull the cart in some countries.

[mikeytherat]

37. The winds atop the WTC were amazing.

I thought I was gonna be lofted over the railing, like a leaf in a breeze.

mikey_the_rat

[izzie]

40. As I got older I have hated to go to high places.

Some one once told me it was your eye sight. I am not sure but besides being on some mt. I think that was one scary place. I did my walk and got inside. I recall the whole day in some details as it has never got out of my mind. We had walked miles to go to the building. My husband kept saying the subway was not safe and would not take a cab. It was sort of funny as we went by some, on foot, some pretty bad looking places. We had come from up near Central Park so you can see how far away we were. My son and I laughed about it after. As even husband was beat and we took a cab back. To this day I am not sure how I ever got him and my son to vacation in NYC. My son and I always vacationed well together but for some reason my husband always put a dumper on it if he was with us.

[Tesha]

39. Similar experiences...

I've been down in a slate mine in Wales but I haven't seen
a coal mine yet.

And we took our exchange student to the top of the World
Trade Centers and stood outside on the roof platform just
about six months before they were destroyed.

(Things that make you go "Hmmm...")

Tesha

[izzie]

56. I am glad I did these things as it makes you really think

I sure would never wish to be a miner or wash windows at a tall building. I do not think I would even like to work in-side a very tall building

[acmavm]

24. That cave in couldn't be because the mine owner had the pillars of coal

that propped the place up removed, could it?

When does this guy get arrested? Depraved indifference. Negligent homicide? Manslaughter?

I could work up a damn good case. Why haven't the people who are supposed to do those things had him picked up yet?

[laruemtt]

25. 'cause he's rich with connections?

big coal gets away with murder.

[Ganja Ninja]

26. I can't believe that this mine wasn't showing signs of instability

long before they sent those guys in to start removing pillars. It looks like we're going to have to hold yet another congressional investigation to show why the GOP's agenda of deregulation is killing Americans.

[Tesha]

30. And then we'll send a very-sternly worded letter of complaint!

This will only *START TO END* when the capitalists who
routinely value money over lives start being sent to
prison for decades at a stretch. Do you see that
happening any time soon? I don't.

Tesha

[PA Democrat]

35. Mr. Murray bullies inspectors on a regular basis. He calls in political favors to have tough

inspectors remover and here in PA, he is SUING in federal court (more Bush corporate friendly judges) DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty and four other DEP mining office officials. Mr. Murray claims that his mine was singled out for "unequal and arbitrary enforcement" because the officials didn't like him.

[depakid]

41. So when will Murray be IN PRISON ?

He's already lied and acted appallingly to Congress. But then again so have others.

Curious. Could things like this be why almost no one in America has any respect for the Democratic Congress? Could people like Murray have something to do with why they're consistently rated far lower than George Bush?

[EST]

27. That's what some of the miners said, before straw boss said

no talking to reporters. It's a very dangerous process, as I'm sure you know, and, although Murray denied that they even do such a thing, that second night, they were showing a map that included both new and old mine and how much they had collapsed of it so far.

Typical republican liar. Bad, greedy humans. Collapsing and removing the remaining coal is illegal in some areas because of the danger, but perfectly legal in others, since it represents many thousands of tons of coal that they can't have.

This man has been guilty of some rule shaving in the past, so I expect, once the crush of emergency rescue has subsided, a congress critter or two is going to have his ass in front of a hearing.

He'll probably up and die and piss everybody off.

[bettyellen]

42. collapsing the mines also hides all the evidence if you aren't complying w/ safety regs

another reaon they think this type of mining is unsafer....

[Virginia Dare]

47. It also makes you wonder when you hear..

that he's had to hire Mexicans to do the work.

[bettyellen]

48. we ought to examine the meme "work americans won't do" and see if we believe

anyone should be doing some of these jobs.

[Virginia Dare]

49. Exactly, these are human rights abuses...n/t

[Virginia Dare]

33. I keep waiting for somebody to drag that crazy man off to jail..

enough with the fawning all over him by the press, this guy is a walking disaster, he needs to be locked up.

[0007]

34. Bob Murray has big time juice in D.C.

Labor secretary Elaine Chao and Senator Mitch O'Connell

[Virginia Dare]

46. If the Dems take over Washington in 2008,

I'd like to see them sue that bitch for all wages and benefits she's received as Secretary of Corporate Cover Ass.

[smirkymonkey]

58. Too bad they're all abandoning ship....

Poor wittle Bob won't have anyone left to defend him, they'll be too busy trying to save their own asses.

I hope that bastard gets what's coming to him - I have lost all faith that there is any justice in the world. Please God, if you exist, let's see some instant Karma.

[kurtyboy]

28. The mine safety officer might have something to say

He was briefing reporters two days ago, and the question came up about the rescuing miners asking to be removed from the team, over concerns about their own safety. The officer responded that he had been approached by several (a dozen?) of the miners, and that they continued to work. Before the mine safety officer could complete his answer, though, the mine owner stepped in and interupted, shifting the focus away from the line of questioning. The safety officer got the message, and clammed up.

I can't remember which network it was, but it was one of the 24-hour deals--MSNBC or Fox or CNN.

[rodeodance]

31. oh, how terrible.

[Virginia Dare]

32. How many more people is that crazy screw ball going to kill?...n/t

[Kyad06]

38. Murray is a fraud

How about the way the MSM showed this assclown with a miners hat inside a mine, like he was personally involved in the rescue.

[depakid]

43. No, Murray is a criminal

and has been for many, many years.

Just look at the record- and apply the law.

[Maribelle]

44. Fraud goes up the chain of command - - Bush has killed these miners with his corruption.

How many more will die because of this corrupt administration?

[Virginia Dare]

45. Along with many other nameless, faceless workers...

there is no oversight, and OSHA is a complete joke.

[0007]

57. OSHA is a complete joke with this criminal administration..

[calimary]

54. Welcome to DU! He's a regular rudy giuliani, isn't he?

Cheapskate, corner-cutting schmuck needs to be brought up on charges.

Um... the word, again, is "accountability."

But notice how shrewd this asshole is - always bullying his way up to the microphones, always outshouting and interrupting and repeating bullshit lines over and over. It's a classic lesson in how you obfuscate, how you bullshit, how you obstruct, how you stonewall. Just watch him. I bet some republi-CON strategists are doing so. Wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of them have even coached him.

[bleedingheart]

50. My family is full of coal miners...

my grandfather, my uncles..etc

my father's father wouldn't let him go into the mines...he didn't want his only son killed...that is how dangerous it was...and still is.

Anytime I hear these stories...I feel the shudder that I feel when you hear the coal whistle signal a mine disaster...

The mine was unsafe....I am not a mining engineer but I suspect that to cut costs fewer support columns were used and perhaps the surrounding rock is actually heavier than the coal itself...perhaps removing the coal (created by pressure/time) was more than that mountain could take...and removing it without every precaution...that is just capitalistic greed..

It wasn't an earthquake...just greed that caused this disaster..

[spinbaby]

51. Many of us in these parts have relatives in coal

And the stories I hear coming out of Murray's Ohio mines are interesting to say the least.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Seabiscuit]

53. God to Earth: "Quit mining and burning coal and polluting my atmosphere!" n/t

[pinniped]

59. I heard the POS* recess appointed the head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Obviously, this Richard Stickler character was installed to make sure the mine owners wouldn't be forced to implement costly or time consuming safety measures.