From Deseret News archives:
Utah mine officials: It could take days to reach trapped Emery coal miners
"They have broken through the seal and are working their way in now," said Doug Johnson with UtahAmerican Energy, which manages the Crandall Canyon mine.
Rescue crews are undertaking four different methods to reach the miners. They are trying to reach them through old mine shafts or even drilling from above through a mountain. More rescue teams and resources were being brought in tonight.
"Pray, pray, pray," said Robert Murray, the president of Murray Energy, which owns the mine.
"Trust us, we're doing a lot of different things to get to them," he said. "We have four mining rescue teams here focused on the evacuation. That's our mission. That's our only mission."
The men are believed to be in an area where there is air and water. Ideally, rescuers may only have to drill through 100 feet of coal to reach the men, Murray said.
Two rescue teams are breaking through rock seals in horizontal shafts parallel to the place where the men are and then plan to drill to their area.
Meanwhile, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. flew to Emery County to meet with families of the miners today. They were being kept at an undisclosed location in Huntington, awaiting any new developments.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families," Huntsman said at a news conference in Huntington Canyon. "I'm confident that every expense is being made in order to do this right and no stone is left unturned."
There has been no contact with the miners, who were among 10 men working about 3.5 miles into the canyon when the collapse occurred about 2:48 a.m. The men were about eight hours into their 12 hour shifts when the collapse occurred.
"They know where they're at in the mine, it's just a matter of getting to them," Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guyman said.
Four workers were able to easily evacuate, but the other six were trapped in Section 139. Rescue crews have reached Section 126.
"The area where the miners are believed to have been working is about four miles from the mine entrance," said Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
Large trucks drove up the mountain canyon road all morning, delivering a few additional miners and several large pieces of equipment. One such piece is a "continuous miner," which will eat through the rubble and spit it out behind it, carving a trail for rescue workers.
