Rescuers find just rubble in collapsed Idaho tunnel

MULLAN, Idaho — Crews using bore holes and probes failed to find evidence of a miner who was trapped deep underground when part of an Idaho silver mine collapsed more than a week ago.

Hecla Mining Co. said Saturday that rescuers neared the section of a collapsed tunnel where they had hoped to find 53-year-old Larry Marek. But the probes have so far yielded only sand and rubble instead of an open area behind the collapse.

Finding just rubble here could mean the entire 75 feet of tunnel where Marek had been working has collapsed. said spokeswoman Melanie Hennessey.

"We would hope not, but that's the indication," she said.

There still could be open areas elsewhere inside the mine, she said. Crews won't know whether to expect to find voids without more digging. And since there is no way to know for certain Marek's location, search efforts will continue.

"We're still 100 percent focused on rescue efforts," Hennessey said.

Marek and his brother, Mike, had just finished watering down blasted-out rock and ore in the Lucky Friday Mine April 15 when the ceiling collapsed about 75 feet from the rock face of the 6,150-foot deep tunnel, the company said. Mike Marek, who was working at the opposite end of the collapse from his brother, escaped unharmed.

Bore holes for five probes have been drilled from various locations, with four finding sand and rubble and a fifth finding a void, though its size and exact location hasn't been determined, Hennessey said. She said a sixth drill probe was in progress late Saturday

The 220-foot rescue tunnel, called a drift, had advanced to 184 feet by Saturday, and the probes are helping miners determine how to proceed.

"At this point the focus is really making sure we get an understanding of the ground conditions, to prepare for the rescue crews to enter that area through the 220 drift," she said.

Work on the rescue tunnel has slowed as crews encounter increasingly difficult conditions that require a special tunneling technique that uses steel supports to prevent the new tunnel from collapsing.

The company is also using the drill holes to put fresh air and water into the collapsed tunnel.

No cause has been established for the cave-in. The mine has shut down production to concentrate on the rescue effort.

The Marek family has not spoken with reporters since the cave-in.