Crandall Canyon Mine rescue suspended

HUNTINGTON — The rescue effort for six miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine since Aug. 6 is officially over, and there is no word of when or even if there will be a recovery effort of the bodies.

"I think our trapped miners are going to be in there a long time," said Colin King, a Salt Lake City attorney hired by the families of the missing miners. "I think this means that MSHA (Mine Health and Safety Administration) has concluded the miners are dead."

The final hope of finding any signs of life failed today as workers dropped a robot with a camera down into the fourth bore hole. All they found was more debris, mud and water, much like Thursday's dip into the seventh and final bore hole.

The next step is for MSHA to begin its investigation into the cause of the original mine collapse that trapped Kerry Allred, Manuel Sanchez, Louis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Don Erickson and Brandon Phillips. That investigation is expected to begin on Tuesday and last for possibly several months.

The families received what was to be their final briefing from MSHA officials at the Desert Edge Christian Chapel in Huntington today.

"We basically told the families that at this point and time, we've run out of options," said Rich Kulczewski, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor. As for drilling an eighth hole, he added, "We just don't know where else we could put a hole to get any other information."

Each of the seven holes, Kulczewski said, revealed basically the same things: conditions inside the mine that continue to deteriorate with the addition of more mud, water, debris and a sagging roof everywhere they were able to see with a camera. The robot used in today's final attempt down a bore hole is now stuck behind a rock, and its operators hope to recover the device on Saturday.

Speaking on behalf of the families, King said the fourth bore hole showed only a "muddy mess" inside the mine. He attended the briefing with MSHA officials.

"The families that were there were understandably very upset," King said. Some asked for a continuation of efforts. "There were quite a few tears in there."

King said MSHA officials had no answer as to when, if or how a recovery effort might someday take place.

"We intend to look at that very carefully," King said about plans for a recovery.