“…it is Easter morning. Here at the Lucky Friday Mine in Northern Idaho we have been hoping for a miracle for more than a week, but have now informed Larry Marek’s family that we believe hope for his survival is gone.”-Phil Baker, Hecla CEO
Officials say they are no longer trying to rescue Larry Marek, it is now a recovery.
“Words cannot express the deep sorrow we feel at the tragic loss of our friend, colleague and 30-year veteran of the mining industry. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones and friends.”-Hecla press release
Hecla officials did not give any details as to why they believe Marek is dead.
“Crews have been progressing safely and quickly. However, as the crew advances closer (to where Marek may be), the work involved will become much more difficult, time consuming with new materials, equipment and supplies in order to advance the tunnel into potentially unstable ground.”-Hecla press release
So far 163 feet (49.6 meters) of solid rock has been blasted, to make a new tunnel to get to where rescuers think Larry Marek might be. They think they have 53 feet to go, before they hit an open space behind the debris of last Friday’s cave in.
Plans to start two new tunnels were canceled because the ground was just too unstable. Food and water has been passed through small holes made in the debris. A small camera was sent through but the images were not detailed enough. Bigger cameras are being brought in.
Four firefighters from Yellowstone National Park and Gallatin National Forest were sent to help fight the fires in Texas.
The ‘Pipeline’ wildfire, one of many in Texas, is burning on the Big Thicket National Preserve. The local firefighters were sent in because of a inter-agency request. Officials believe the ‘Pipeline’ fire was started by people.
Rescuers used a tiny camera to see if Larry Marek was behind the cave in debris. No such luck.
Rescuers also pumped in air and water, through the holes they drilled. They’re hoping that Marek is in the open space found behind the rubble of last Friday’s cave in.
They’re still trying to dig alternate tunnels. They had to stop digging through the cave in rubble because the ground was unstable.
Rescuers at the Lucky Friday Mine cleared about 71 feet of debris, in their attempt to get to where Larry Marek might be. They still have another 149 feet to go. They’ve also started to drill a third air hole.
Nearly 200 people gathered in a local school to hold a vigil for the trapped miner.
Robots from the Idaho National Laboratory have been searching through the damaged reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi.
They have discovered temperature and radiation levels too high for humans. Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say they will have to use air conditioners, and filtration systems, to bring heat and radiation levels down enough for workers to operate inside the buildings. Latest NHK video
Rescue workers say they think there is a void within the caved in roof of the Lucky Friday mine. They drilled through the debris, ran a camera through and discovered that there is open space.
They drilled some other holes to let fresh air in. Rescuers have been working since the the cave in, on April 15. 53-year-old Larry Marek, and his brother were just finishing up watering down the latest dig, when the roof fell in. Larry didn’t get out.
Rescuers gave up trying to dig through the debris, because it became more dangerous as they went. They feared another cave in. Now they’re trying to dig new tunnels.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says high radiation levels, and high humidity, is slowing up robots being used to inspected the reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi.
In Reactor 2 building the humidity was so high it fogged the robot’s camera lens.
In Reactor 3, there is too much debris from the hydrogen gas explosion. They will use another robot that can clear the debris, some of which weighs 100kg (220 pounds).
Officials have decided it’s too dangerous to dig through the caved in roof of the Lucky Friday mine, near Mullan, Idaho.
They will now try digging two new shafts to get to Larry Marek. He and his brother were working in the mine on Friday, when the roof caved in.
Digging the new shafts could take seven days. Temperatures inside the mine, at the depth Marek was working, can hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius).
Rescuers are bringing in more equipment to dig out Larry Marek. A section of roof caved in on him and his brother last Friday, his brother got out.
The latest info is that a large diamond drill will be used to drill a hole through the debris, to try and determine if Marek is alive. It could take two days to drill through the 185 feet (56.3 meters) of dirt.
Rescue efforts are slow because the size of the collapse was underestimated. Rescuers are also waiting for parts, so they can use a bigger drone digger.
The company that owns the Lucky Friday mine, Hecla, has a good safety record going back to 2000. But there have been accidents at other Idaho mines. Last June a miner was killed when a slab of rock fell on him, while he was working at the Galena Mine.