Mine lawyer says hole for rescue capsule unlikely
"It's an unsafe activity," Murray Energy Corp. lawyer Chris Van Bever said, commenting a day after relatives of the six miners pleaded for rescue efforts to continue.
An outside safety expert and a miners' union official also spoke out Monday against reopening the mine to production.
Van Bever said there had been no decision yet to call off the rescue effort. Decisions about drilling a rescue hole and continuing with other rescue activities were being made jointly by federal and company officials in consultation with mining experts, he said.
The capsule had been considered a last option since three rescue workers were killed and six others injured Thursday as they tried to tunnel through rubble-filled mine passageways.
Family were outraged Sunday after grim officials said the missing miners may never been be found.
Mine officials had sustained hope for two weeks that the miners would be brought out alive. However, repeated efforts to signal the men have been met with silence, and air readings from a fourth narrow hole drilled more than 1,500 feet into the mountainside detected insufficient oxygen to support life in that part of the mine. Other bore holes indicated better air in other cavities but no signs of the miners.
"It's likely these miners may not be found," Moore said.
Moore said there is recoverable coal in other parts of the 5,000-acre mine, and the company expected to resume operations at some point. He said he hadn't discussed that prospect with family members.
However, one mine safety expert said Monday he was skeptical whether any plan can be developed to ensure that mining could resume safely at the Crandall Canyon Mine.
"I can say unequivocally that's inadvisable because of the pressures that have been exerted in that mine and the tragedy we've seen in the past two weeks. It would be inadvisable to go back in that mine and begin mining again," said Jack Spadaro. He is a former director of the federal National Mine Health and Safety Academy and has advised the miners' union and attorneys representing injured miners.
The head of the national coal miners' union, which does not represent Crandall Canyon miners, said it would be "madness" to continue mining there.
"In an industry long known for having quite a few greedy and uncaring mine operators, this statement is perhaps the most callous I have ever heard," said Cecil E. Roberts, president of United Mine Workers of America International. "To do any further mining in an already unstable mine like Crandall Canyon is madness."
Recent comments
I acquired my information from reading a lot of material about the...
Interloper | Aug. 20, 2007 at 11:50 p.m.
Just because it is unstable at this point does not mean it will not...
C | Aug. 20, 2007 at 8:07 p.m.
When is ENOUGH - ENOUGH. Can the media please leave Mr. Murray Alone...
Agree with Bubba | Aug. 20, 2007 at 7:57 p.m.
