Second Tragedy Strikes Utah Mine

Aug. 17, 2007 — -- Many families in Huntington, Utah, hoped the ambulances that came streaming down the mountain were the miracle they had been waiting for -- that rescuers finally reached the six miners trapped deep within the Crandall Canyon Mine.

Instead, it was what they had all feared from the beginning of the search. The mine had collapsed again for the second time in less than two weeks -- this time caving in on top of nine rescuers, killing three.

"This is a devastating blow to what was already a tragic situation," Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon said.

Investigators believe the cave-in was caused by what miners call a "mountain bump" or "mountain bounce," a seismic event that Bob Murray, chief of Murray Energy Corporation, the co-owner and operator of the Crandall Canyon Mine, had worried about earlier in the day.

"The seismic activity underground has just been relentless. The mountain is sill alive … and we cannot risk injuring others," he said.

The rescuers risked everything for the past 11 days. They worked around the clock attempting to tunnel their way to their six colleagues trapped about 1,500 feet below ground. The search has been halted after today's tragedy.

Ironically, cameras and listening devices lowered into the mine provided new reason for hope just 24 hours ago. The equipment showed empty spaces with enough oxygen and water to sustain life and picked up unidentified noises that led people to believe the trapped miners could still be alive.

But now, the mountain has moved again, taking three lives and perhaps forever jeopardizing the rescue of the six others trapped somewhere deep in the mine.