..from the Philippines mud slide under 115 feet of mud. 115ft?? man-O-man
God please help those that are still buried alive.
God please help those that are still buried alive.
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Unbelievable!Comment -
I don't believe it, until I see the people alive. I remember the mining incident 12 live miners alive then they were all dead. Our media is horrid in trying to be the first to deliver the news.Originally posted by SBR_JohnComment -
Absolutly amazing that many people survived being buried under 115 feet of mud. I hope they find more.Comment -
Originally posted by Illusion
I hope all the reports are all accurate and liable, if so Godbless all of the surviviors and help workers over there.Comment -
Lets pray for these guys also,
SAN JUAN DE SABINAS, Mexico - Rescue workers burrowed through debris clogging a Mexican coal mine early Monday in a desperate effort to free 65 miners who had been trapped for more than a day by a gas explosion.
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The miners were carrying only six hours of oxygen when the explosion happened early Sunday, and officials said it was unclear if they had access to fresh air. Rescue teams had failed to make any contact with those trapped at the mine near the town of San Juan de Sabinas, 85 miles southwest of Eagle Pass, Texas.
Several other workers who were near the mine's entrance at the time of the explosion were treated for broken bones and burns, but they were able to escape alive.
Rescue teams worked round-the-clock to reach the trapped workers, some of whom were located one to three miles from the mine's entrance.
Family members held an all-night vigil at the site, huddling near bonfires and wrapped in blankets to protect against the bitter cold. Some pitched tents, while others slept on small cots or upright in plastic chairs. As the sun rose Monday, they sipped hot coffee and ate cookies and sandwiches offered by a local Catholic charity group.
Officials were not letting anyone in the security zone.
"What we want is for them to tell us what is happening and if they have advanced or not," said Francisco Ordonez, 41, whose 23-year-old brother, Jose Alfredo Ordonez, and a cousin were still trapped in the mine. "People are starting to get desperate."
Yadira Gallegos said her 28-year-old brother-in-law Jesus Martinez was just finishing his first week at the mine. "The only thing we want is information and all they tell us is that they don't know," Gallegos said, crying.
Sergio Robles, director of emergency services for Coahuila state, which includes San Juan de Sabinas, said the miners were carrying six hours of oxygen with them.
On Monday, he said rescue officials had advanced up to 400 yards into the mine after working more than 24 hours to get past piles of dirt, rocks, metal and wood that had collapsed near the entrance.
Robles told a news conference that at least two miners in charge of operating a conveyer belt were believed to be trapped just 110 yards farther inside.
Robles said the roof of the mine was better reinforced after 400 meters, giving rescuers hope that they could pick up the pace of their search for survivors.
The explosion occurred around 2:30 a.m. local time Sunday as the miners were in the middle of their overnight shift, which begins at 11 p.m.
Rescue efforts also were slowed by the presence of toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, Robles said. When asked if officials believed the miners survived the explosion, Robles said: "It would be difficult because of the presence of gas. But we are holding out hope of finding someone alive."
President
Vicente Fox's chief spokesman, Ruben Aguilar, said Monday, "The government has a lot of hope that everyone will get out alive."
Juan Rebolledo, vice president of international affairs for mining giant Grupo Mexico, which owns the mine, said oxygen tanks were scattered throughout the site, but it was impossible to know if the trapped miners had access to any of them.
Coahuila Gov. Humberto Moreira Valdes, who was overseeing the rescue operation, told the Televisa television network that the mine's ventilation system was still working.
Rebolledo said several rescue teams were taking turns carefully removing debris that had clogged the steep shaft and were simultaneously reinforcing the mine's walls with wood.
"It's slow work because of the quantity of debris," he said.
Anxious relatives tried to hang on to hope.
"We have hope that they are alive because they tell us that they have fans working" to ventilate the mine, said Olivia Camarillo, 50, who waited for news about her trapped 27-year-old son.
Norma Vitela heard about the explosion on the radio and came to find out what happened to her husband, 47-year-old Jose Angel Guzman. A father of four, Guzman has worked in the mine for 16 years.
"Now we are waiting for a miracle from God," she said.
Vitela said her husband had mentioned previously that there were problems with gas in the mine, but he could not afford to quit.
Consuelo Aguilar, a spokeswoman for the National Miners' Union, said there had been concern over safety conditions in Grupo Mexico mines.
"We have pressured for better safety conditions as well as for better pay at the mines," she said.
She called for an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident and the responsibility of any company officials.
Rebolledo said safety conditions at the mine met Mexican government requirements as well as international standards.
"We follow all the best safety procedures, but accidents can always happen," Rebolledo said.
The company discusses safety conditions with the union in annual meetings and there has been no major disagreement on the issue, he said.
Pedro Camarillo, a federal labor official who is not related to Olivia Camarillo, told reporters during a news conference at the site that officials found nothing unusual during a routine evaluation on Feb. 7.
As well as mining coal, Grupo Mexico is the world's third-largest copper producer, with operations in Mexico, Peru, and the United States.
There have been various fatal mining accidents in Coahuila. The worst was in 1969 when more than 153 miners were killed in a pit at the village of Barroteran. In 2001, another 12 people died in an accident at a mine near Barroteran.
Last month, 14 miners died in two separate accidents at mines in West Virginia, in the United States. Two men died in a fire Jan. 21 at a mine in Melville, nearly three weeks after 12 men died after an explosion near Tallmansville.
In Canada last month, 72 potash miners walked away from an underground fire and toxic smoke after being locked down overnight in airtight chambers packed with enough oxygen, food and water for several days.Comment
