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Workers try to reach trapped Mexico miners
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-20 18:44
Rescue workers were burrowing through debris clogging a Mexican coal mine
early Monday in a desperate effort to reach some 65 miners who were trapped for
more than a day by a gas explosion.
Relatives of miners wait next to emergency
vehicles after a gas buildup in a coal mine triggered a pre-dawn explosion
Sunday Feb. 19, 2006 in the town of San Juan de Sabinas, 135 kilometers
(85 miles) southwest of Eagle Pass, Texas trapping 65 coal miners
underground with a limited supply of oxygen.
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The miners were carrying only six hours of oxygen with them when the
explosion occurred early Sunday, and officials said it was unclear if they had
access to fresh air. Rescue teams had failed to make any contact with the
trapped miners.
Several other workers who were near the mine's entrance at the time of the
explosion were able to escape alive and were treated for broken bones and burns.
Rescue teams worked round-the-clock as family members waited for news,
huddled near bonfires and wrapped in blankets to protect against the bitter cold
outside the mine near the town of San Juan de Sabinas, 85 miles southwest of
Eagle Pass, Texas.
Officials had promised a pre-dawn briefing, but they had yet to appear and
were not letting anyone in the security zone.
Sergio Robles, director of Coahuila state's emergency services, said the
miners were carrying six hours of oxygen with them and were located between one
and three miles from the mine's entrance.
He said rescue officials had advanced up to 300 yards into the mine after
working for nearly 20 hours. The explosion occurred around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. It
was unclear when they would reach the miners.
Rescue efforts 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."
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