HUNTINGTON, Emery County — Rescuers hoped to reach six trapped miners early this morning and possibly learn if the men are alive or dead.

Inch by inch, foot by foot, a pair of drills were making their way through a mountain to provide some link to the outside world for the six men trapped 1,869 feet underground in a collapsed mine shaft.

"There's a possibility we may not learn anything conclusive," cautioned Rob Moore, the vice president of Murray Energy Corp., which owns the Crandall Canyon Mine. "It may hit in an area that the miners may not be able to get to."

If that's the case, rescuers would have to pull the drill and start over again.

As of Thursday night, a drill boring a 2 1/2-inch hole had reached a depth of nearly 1,800 feet. It was moving at a rate of 20 feet per hour, mine officials said. Once it reached the cavern where the miners are believed to be, rescuers said it would take several hours to retract the drill and insert audio equipment that could communicate with the miners.

"The listening devices will have a light attached to them. The listening devices have a two-way communication," said Richard Stickler, the assistant U.S. Labor Secretary over the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

A high-resolution camera has been brought in from Kansas that would also be able to determine if the miners are alive or dead. It was expected to arrive at the mine by midnight.

Another drill, making a hole in the mountain nearly 9 inches in size, had reached a depth of 860 feet. That drill could also punch through the cavern this morning. Progress was slowed on Thursday when a motor had to be replaced.

Meanwhile, rescuers continue to work underground inside the Crandall Canyon Mine. Crews that are clearing debris inside the mine have advanced 400 feet. They are now about 1,800 feet from the area the miners are believed to be trapped in. It still could be as many as six days before rescuers are able to break through the collapsed mine shaft and reach the men.

Movement underground has mostly subsided, Stickler said, though there's constant noise coming from the roof of the mine shaft as the mountain continues to settle.

The miners have been identified as Manuel Sanchez, Kerry Allred, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Brandon Phillips and Don Erickson. Officials, family and friends of the trapped miners have confirmed their identities to the Deseret Morning News.

'Keep hope alive'

Family members sequestered in a local junior high school have been watching videos of the underground rescue efforts. They have been briefed frequently on the progress.