Tas: Slow progress on mine rescue overnight

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2006
Tas: Slow progress on mine rescue overnight

BEACONSFIELD, Tas, April 27 AAP - Rescuers trying to reach three miners trapped nearly
a kilometre underground in a Tasmanian gold mine have made slow progress overnight.

Beaconsfield Gold Mine management is expected to hold another media conference at 0700
(AEST) to update the public on the rescue mission.

But after 36 hours, fears are growing for the trapped miners - Todd Russell, Larry
Knight and Brant (Brant) Webb.

They became trapped after a minor earthquake triggered a rock fall at the Beaconsfield
Gold Mine at 9.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday night.

Fourteen other miners working underground made it to a safety chamber and escaped unscathed.

The 1,000-strong community of Beaconsfield, 40 km north-west of Launceston, has spent
an anxious night waiting for news.

"Unfortunately there's no new information coming out during the night," West Tamar
mayor Barry Easther told Channel Nine this morning.

"They are making progress ... I know they have been working very hard overnight to
try and get to the area where the trapped miners are."

He said the families, who are being cared for by counsellors, are desperate for news.

"The families are doing it pretty tough ... they will be getting very anxious and very
keen to get some information," he said.

"I don't think there is anything worse than having to wait for news of loved ones.

It's the not knowing that is the real difficultly for those families."

An earthmover, equipped with cameras and remotely-controlled, was to be sent into the
mine to try to dig its way through to the trapped men.

Mine manager Matthew Gill said yesterday that grave fears were held for the men, but
one ray of hope was that the mine's ventilation system was still working last night and
water supplies were not a concern.

All three men are experienced miners, and this improves their chances of survival,
Mr Gill agreed.

AAP jlw/ao

KEYWORD: MINE SECOND DAYLEAD

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