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Rescuers' heroism helps, a little

Some want the search for miners to go on, but others are wary.

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 18, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Adilene Lerma, 10, and her mother, Maria, seek word Thursday on Adilene's father, Natalio Lerma; he was safe.

HUNTINGTON, Utah - Brandon Kimber, 29, worked 12 hours a day drilling toward the six men he used to work alongside.

"He worked with those men that's trapped right now for about 3 1/2 years," said Christina Shumway, the miner's girlfriend. "He made it a point to go in and get his friends out."

Kimber and two other rescuers died Thursday in the collapse of a mine wall that buried them and injured six others on the quivering mountain that swallowed six coal miners 12 days ago.

"He died saving someone else last night, and that made it easier for us somehow," said Kristin Kimber, his ex-wife.

The deaths left the mining region torn Friday over how to proceed, as federal officials suspended indefinitely their disastrous underground search at the Crandall Canyon mine. Attempts to locate the trapped men, missing since Aug. 6, by drilling holes from above would continue, officials said.

With grim-faced authorities baffled over when, or if, fresh teams can be sent in, the reality sank in among hushed residents that the six men, trapped 1,800 feet beneath the surface, might never be found.

"People here are just sick in the stomach about all of this," said Joanne Carpenter, whose son is a friend of the son of Dale Black, 48, one of the rescuers killed.

The other dead miner was identified as Gary Jensen, 53, an inspector for the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Of the six injured rescuers, three remain hospitalized.

The massive rescue operation has been plagued by a mountain that has refused to sit still, and the new collapse raised questions about not only the safety of the mine but also the wisdom of the treacherous rescue operation.

"I've got people I know who're underground, trapped, and I'd like to get them out," said Jeremiah Jackson, 31, who works at another of the area's mountainside mines. "But on the other hand, I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

The intense attempt to burrow into the collapsed mine shaft was from the beginning fraught with risk. The mountain has been experiencing seismic jolts since the start of the assignment. Seismic specialists at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City have recorded 22 readings of earth movement at the site since the original 3.9 magnitude shock.

Officials with the mine said they were determined to press on. "We will move forward with that effort," Murray Energy vice president Rob Moore said.

But Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said he did not want additional teams to descend into the mine until, and if, it can be adequately fortified. He said he doubted that a mine of this depth could be made safe for entry anytime soon.

"We have already experienced enough in terms of pain," he said.

About 130 people have been involved in the rescue. At one point 12 had requested that they be reassigned from inside the mine to a different area of the operation due to the extreme hazards, while others have volunteered to help.

Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, issued a statement saying the deaths were "needless and preventable." Roberts has been a persistent critic of operations at the mine, which is not unionized.

Richard Stickler, the director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said that the strongest available support structure had been put in place to protect the rescuers, including fencing and steel buttresses, but that "obviously, it was not adequate."

He said that tons of rock in what is called a mountain bump had settled over the mine tunnel and caused walls to fall. Rescuers at a depth of 2,000 feet, he said, were battered by shooting coal and debris when 30 feet of a "rib" or wall exploded.

Hopes are dashed

The people of Huntington, who only the night before had been high-spirited at a benefit concert for the trapped miners, were withdrawn and somber.

"Everyone is affected here," said Patsy Stoddard, editor of the Emery County Progress newspaper and a childhood friend of Black. "If you're in a coal mine 24 hours a day, you form lifelong friendships."

Thursday's collapse swiftly deflated the guardedly hopeful mood buoyed by word earlier that noise had been detected underground.

There has been no sure indication that the miners are alive, just tantalizing sounds that could be the rustlings of animals or earth.

Rescue teams had chewed their way 800 feet, and still had another 1,200 to go to reach the likely location of the trapped men. Three bore holes were drilled into the mine but found no sign of life. The fourth hole is expected to be completed today.

Pleas to continue

Mexico's consul in Salt Lake City, Salvador Jimenez, said he urged Huntsman to continue the rescue effort. While experts need to study the best way to do it safely, "this effort should not be interrupted," Jimenez said. Three of the six men still trapped are Mexican nationals.

Christina Shumway and Kristin Kimber were also distressed to hear that the rescue effort had been suspended.

"I think he would be devastated," Shumway said of her late boyfriend. "The last thing Brandon would want is for people to stop."

Others wondered aloud whether it was time to abandon the search. "I had two brother-in-laws in the mine last night," said Shelle Allred. "So many people putting their lives at risk with no proof of life."

Information from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Washington Post was used in this report.

[Last modified August 18, 2007, 01:07:59]