Rescuers trying to make contact with six coal miners might have drilled a hole into the wrong chamber, but they have not given up hope that the trapped men are still alive, officials said Friday.
Richard Stickler, head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, said an initial air sample taken through the hole that was drilled 1,900 feet below the surface indicated there was enough oxygen to support life. However, later readings showed dangerously low levels in a sealed chamber next to the one where the miners are believed trapped.
A microphone dropped down the 2½-inch-wide borehole picked up no evidence the men had survived, but rescuers expected a second, wider hole that could accommodate a camera, food and water to be finished by Friday night, Stickler said.
"There's no reason to lose hope. There are certain possibilities that these miners are still alive," he said.
Authorities had warned that such a small drill could drift from its target.
"It is disappointing. No one could admit otherwise in this case," said John Baza, director of Utah's Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. "But hope is the thing we have to cling to. Everyone is doing everything that they can to try to get those miners out and to try to reach them."
Rescue work also continued in the mine itself, where rescuers were slowly burrowing through the debris to reach the workers.
"It's incredibly labor-intensive," said Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy Corp., a co owner of the Crandall Canyon mine.
If the miners are alive, they would be sitting in darkness, wearing thin work clothes in the 58-degree cold, other miners said. Each miner would typically have had a half-gallon of water with them.
At the time of the collapse, the six miners were working in an area with an 8-foot ceiling. Corridors in the mine are typically about 14 feet wide.
The mining company has withheld the names of the six miners. The Associated Press has confirmed five identities: Carlos Payan, Don Erickson, Kerry Allred, Manuel Sanchez and Brandon Phillips.
The men's families were praying for their survival, one relative said.
"There are all types of conditions that could be in there for these folks ... some little cavity, some little corner," said Arch Allred, cousin of miner Kerry Allred.
From NPR reports and The Associated Press
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
