Search continues for two coal miners in western Maryland

Crews continued to dig through tons of rock and dirt Wednesday in their search for two coal miners believed to be buried under a wall that collapsed in an open pit mine in western Maryland.

The operation was a rescue effort, not a recovery effort, said Richard L. DeVore, Allegany County director of emergency services, meaning there was hope the miners were alive.

They were believed to be trapped beneath 75 feet of rock and dirt. There has been no communication with them since the collapse Tuesday morning, said Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

DeVore said MSHA officials told him rescuers could reach where the miners were buried early Wednesday evening.

Large amounts of debris were moved overnight and at dawn Wednesday at a rate of 2,500 to 3,500 tons an hour, Fillpot said. But the wall that collapsed “remains unstable, which has interrupted loading of material at times,” Fillpot said.

DeVore said the section that came down was about 300 feet long and 60 feet high. Some vehicles also are believed to be buried beneath the pile, he said.

The first call about the collapse at the Tri-Star Job No. 3 mine near Barton came at 10:05 a.m. Tuesday, said Brian Miller, an Allegany County 911 dispatcher. Rescue crews from Maryland and West Virginia responded, DeVore said.

The Maryland National Guard and the state police were also working with federal officials, said Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for Gov. Martin O’Malley.

According to the mine safety administration, the mine has had no fatal injuries since at least 1995 and was not cited for violations in its most recent inspection, which began March 5. The mine employed 51 people at the end of 2006 and produced nearly 653,000 tons of coal last year, according to the federal agency.

On the Net: Mine Safety and Health Administration: http://www.msha.gov

Information from: www.herald-mail.com