Rescuers struggling to reach trapped Utah miners

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Rescuers were struggling to dig their way through to six miners trapped underground in a remote Utah coal mine late Tuesday as frustrated officials warned it may take three days to reach the men.

Around 130 rescue workers at the Genwal Mine in Crandall Canyon were attempting to locate the six miners, who have not been heard from since the cave-in occurred at around 3:50 am Monday (0850 GMT) following an earthquake.

Robert Murray, a director of Utah American Energy which operates the mine, situated in a rugged mountain region 193 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Salt Lake City, said it would take at least three days to reach the men.

Despite the massive rescue operation, attempts to dig through tonnes of rock and rubble have been slow, Murray told a news briefing.
"In spite of the exhaustive efforts ... I'm disappointed with our progress to reach these trapped miners. Progress has been slow, too slow," said Murray.
The workers were believed to be located in a chamber around 450 meters (1,500 feet) underground, and were around 600 meters (2,000 feet) from their nearest rescuers, Murray said.

Rescuers had advanced only 95 meters (310 feet) towards the men since efforts to reach them began early Monday, he said.
"It will take three days, if everything goes well, to get to these miners. At that time we will know if they are alive or dead. If the miners survived the concussion from the earthquake we will rescue them alive."

Overnight efforts had been hampered by "geological and geotechnical problems" which limited the advance to only 15 meters (50 feet), Murray said.
Murray said if the men were alive they would have enough oxygen and drinking water to supply for several days.
Late Tuesday, diggers were attempting to clear a route through the mine in order to install sonar equipment that could enable contact with the men, said Al Davis of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

At least three of the workers were confirmed to be Mexican nationals, Mexican consulate officials in Salt Lake City said.
Murray meanwhile responded angrily to reports on Monday that suggested the mine collapse had been mistakenly recorded as an earthquake.
"This was caused by an earthquake," he said. "It was a natural disaster, an earthquake, and I can prove it."

He said the US Geological Survey had recorded the 4.0 magnitude quake as striking at a depth far greater than that of the mine.
Murray also refuted reports that a risky technique known as "retreat mining" was being carried out when the collapse occurred.
In retreat mining, sections of tunnel are deliberately collapsed in an effort to obtain coal.

"The damage in the mine was totally unrelated to any retreat mining," Murray said, lambasting media speculation.
The rescue operation has revived memories of the doomed effort to reach 13 miners who were trapped after an explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia in January last year.
Twelve miners died while only one survived after being buried underground for 41 hours.