Utah Coal Mine Disaster

Lise · Aug 18 07 03:46

I wonder.... with all the news that's been happening, do you think they should stop or keep on going till they reach the trapped miners? Regardless of everything that's been happening?

I'm on the fence with this one. On one hand, I would prefer that they drill as much as possible to get to the miners (be they alive or dead) and on the other hand, I don't want to see any more lives lost, like the lives of the three rescuers.

Getting to the miners has become more dangerous, it seems.

Sportsdude · Aug 18 07 03:47

They won't go after them. This happens a lot. Funny thing is that the mine owner (who's a crook) was one of the big mine owners to lobby against mine safety reform. He boasts that he's super tight with the leading republican in the Senate.

P.C. · Aug 18 07 06:15

It's a tough call for sure Lise. I believe the rescue has been called off for now. It's just heartbreaking. I can't imagine how the family's of these men are feeling......nor can I imagine what the men who are trapped must be feeling. (I hope they're holding on)

ripper · Aug 18 07 08:43

No. While i sympathize with the men and their family, there is no good reason to jeopardize any more innocent lives. Unless of course we were to force the mine owners and their families to risk theirs. Now that would be poetic justice.

P.C. · Aug 18 07 08:51

I hear where you're coming from ripper...but I don't think I could in good conscience ignore the possibility of people suffering a slow and agonizing death without trying something. I guess you have to imagine if it where your family member down there. Would you be OK with the conclusion of the rescue team just saying......it's not worth it ?

49er · Aug 18 07 08:59

the drilling to locate the trapped miners is continueing, it's the horizontal tunneling that has stopped. If the drilling is able to locate the men, food and medical supplies could be lowered to the miners

P.C. · Aug 18 07 09:01

I just can't fathom what the family's are going through.....my stomach is in knots.

Have they even located where they 'SHOULD' be ?

49er · Aug 18 07 09:12

They located a tunnel so they believe there's air and they thought they detected sound but weren't sure, so they're drilling another tunnel to find them

P.C. · Aug 18 07 09:14

Well.....my thoughts and hopes are with them.

49er · Aug 18 07 10:44

(08-18) 20:55 PDT Huntington, Utah (AP) -- Rescuers found no signs of life Saturday after drilling a fourth hole into a collapsed mine where six workers have been trapped nearly two weeks, a disheartening blow in a rescue effort that has killed three other people...............

[A href="vny!://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/18/national/a195156D08.DTL"]vny!://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/18/national/a195156D08.DTL[/A]

P.C. · Aug 18 07 11:02

Jeez. How sad.

Lise · Aug 18 07 11:27

OMG. What a blow. So sad. I hope they can find some closure in all of this.

Speaking of deadly mining, this accident pales in comparison to China where miners have died at almost all mining sites making it some of the worst mining accidents in the world.

ripper · Aug 19 07 02:13

P.C. wrote:
I hear where you're coming from ripper...but I don't think I could in good conscience ignore the possibility of people suffering a slow and agonizing death without trying something. I guess you have to imagine if it where your family member down there. Would you be OK with the conclusion of the rescue team just saying......it's not worth it ? [/DIV]
Realisticly no . Selfishly, i would want them to keep trying and damn the consequences.

Russ · Aug 19 07 10:46

I agree with ripper on this one.

Rescuers are always going to try unless the danger is too risky to them to continue. Its always better to save what you have then lose the rescuers and rescuee's. Hard facts.

But as said.. my family in there I would be screaming for them to continue.

49er · Aug 19 07 10:58

a cousin of one of trapped miners who is also a cousin of one of the killed rescuers was interviewed on TV the other morning along with other family members........they didn't want the rescue to stop even though it was not safe............thats why you need cooler minds, as the governor of the state has done, to stop the rescue operation until it was deemed safe.