Idaho rescuers alter search operation for miner

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Idaho rescuers alter search operation for miner
Man was trapped after a tunnel collapse last Friday
updated 4/19/2011 1:05:42 PM ET 2011-04-19T17:05:42

BOISE, Idaho — Rescuers trying to reach a trapped Idaho silver miner on Tuesday were forced by unstable conditions to alter their operation and are now attempting to reach him from a new direction.

The changes were necessary due to dangerous conditions more than a mile underground inside the Lucky Friday Mine, said Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration Amy Louviere.

There, a collapse last Friday trapped Larry "Pete" Marek, a 53-year-old employee of Hecla Mining Co.

He hasn't been heard from since the collapse.




Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42665534/ns/us_news-life/

[virgogal]

1. God,the poor guy. I wish him well.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Borehole finds open space where Idaho miner may be

Borehole finds open space where Idaho miner may be
(AP) – 3 hours ago

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A pocket of open space behind tons of collapsed rock and debris has added some optimism to the search for a missing silver miner, despite dangerous conditions that are forcing rescuers to take a much longer route toward where he is trapped.

Workers who have been digging through the boulders, twisted wires and broken concrete that collapsed inside the Lucky Friday Mine finished drilling a 2-inch-wide, 180-foot-long hole from another tunnel Tuesday, Hecla Mining Co. said in a written statement. The view from a borehole camera confirmed there is a void in the area where Larry "Pete" Marek had been working, but the company reported no sign of the 53-year-old.

"The importance here is that they were able to find a void, which means there's space, there's open space, which is encouraging," said Stephany Bales, a Hecla spokeswoman.

Since Friday's cave-in, rescue teams had been using a remote-controlled digging machine called a mucker to advance 39 feet into the collapsed area, which is estimated to be as long as 75 feet. But unstable conditions weren't allowing workers to safely shore up that tunnel's walls, so officials had to come up with a new plan.

More:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gZrnoTJbI1VrOjnGtjB3_AOaDtNw?docId=fe2aa93c841a4013876f8f929e701eee