Rescue efforts continue amid frustrations

HUNTINGTON The president of Murray Energy Corp., the company that owns Crandall Canyon Mine, continued to express frustration Sunday on the slow efforts to find six trapped miners. But Bob Murray passionately defended the steps that had been taken so far to get the miners out and continued to stress there is a good possibility the men were alive if they survived the initial collapse.

"Of course this is a rescue mission. We're proceeding as if the men are alive. We we'll continue to do that until we have absolute proof as to their condition," Murray said. "It's very possible they are very much alive, and that is the absolute fact."

Mine officials went over plans with the media Sunday afternoon to drill a third hole about 1,300 feet away from the last hole that was drilled. Rescuers hope to reach an area where the miners were most likely to flee, an area called a "bleeder entry," after their main escape exits out of the mine were cut off.

The third hole will be 8 5/8 inches wide, just like the second hole. A vertical camera sent down that hole to survey the area came up with few results thanks to poor lighting. Rescuers were working on a way to improve the lighting of the camera and intended to send it back down the hole to take more video Sunday night.

Seismologists and Murray disagree on whether an earthquake caused the mine to collapse or if the collapse registered as seismic activity. Murray rebutted reports allegedly saying there were safety concerns about the mine prior to the collapse.

"We've had a once in a lifetime disaster here. This has not happened here before. They have never seen seismic activity like that," Murray insisted. "This is a natural disaster that happened from seismic activity that has never been recorded in this area before."

Sunday marked day seven that miners Kerry Allred, Don Erickson, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Brandon Phillips and Arturo "Manuel" Sanchez were trapped nearly 1,900 feet underground.