Three killed in Another US mine accident
Pastor Dale Morgan
Three killed in Another US mine accident*
Three people have died in a mine accident in southern Indiana, police
have said, in the second mining incident to hit the US this week.
It is not known how many people were in the mine at the time of the
accident.
The incident occurred at an air shaft under construction at about 1100
(1700 GMT). A coroner has been called to the scene, local television
reports said.
Separately, in Utah, six miners are missing 1,500ft (457m) underground
after a mine collapsed on Monday.
It is not yet known whether they are still alive.
'No explosion'
The three Indiana construction workers died in a basket used to
transport people along a 600ft (183m) air shaft being built at the
Gibson County Coal mine, Detective Mike Hurt said.
Bob Pond, from Frontier-Kemper Constructors, which was drilling an air
shaft for the mine, confirmed the deaths.
Union officials said the three people killed were construction workers
at the mine, not coal miners.
No other workers were missing after the incident, near the city of
Princeton.
The cause of the accident was still unclear, but police said no
explosion had occurred.
Recovery crews were working to remove the bodies from the shaft.
The mine's owner, Alliance Resource Partners, is investigating the incident.
Still hopeful
In Utah, rescuers have not found any signs of life after sending a
microphone down a borehole in the hope of contacting the six miners
missing at Crandall Canyon coal mine.
But Richard Stickler, head of the federal Mine Safety and Health
Administration, said workers drilling the 1,800ft (550m) borehole may
have missed the cavity where the men were believed to be trapped.
"There's no reason to lose hope. There are certain possibilities that
these miners are still alive," Mr Stickler said.
A larger hole that could accommodate a camera, food and water is
expected to be finished in the next 12 hours.
Tests carried out at the site showed the air quality was good, the
mine's co-owner, Bob Murray, told reporters on Thursday.
Mr Murray said it could take at least another four or five days to bring
the men out.
Rescue teams have been drilling round-the-clock through a mountain above
the mine to reach the men, who include three Mexican citizens.
The group is thought to be 3.4 miles (5.5km) from the mine entrance, 140
miles (225km) from the capital, Salt Lake City.