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MONTCOAL, W.Va. -- Rescue teams planned to search again Tuesday for four workers missing in a coal mine where a massive explosion killed 25 in the worst U.S. mining disaster in more than two decades, though officials said the chances were slim that the miners survived, and the search may not be able to start again until evening.
The suspended rescue mission would resume after bore holes could be drilled to allow for toxic gases to be ventilated from Massey Energy Co's sprawling Upper Big Branch mine about 30 miles south of Charleston, state and federal safety officials said
Gov. Joe Manchin said at an early morning news briefing that while drilling on at least one of the three holes was slated to begin soon, it would take perhaps 12 hours before the drilling was complete and rescue teams could be sure of their safety in the mine, meaning the search wasn't expected to resume before 6 p.m.
"It's going to be a long day and we're not going to have a lot of information until we can get the first hole through," Manchin said.
The drills need to bore through about 1,100 feet of earth and rock, he said.
"All we have left is hope, and we're going to continue to do what we can," Kevin Stricklin, an administrator for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, said at a news conference. "But I'm just trying to be honest with everybody and say that the situation does look dire."
Source: Forbes
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