Utah mine operator: We are back at square one

HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) -- Efforts to reach six men trapped in a collapsed coal mine in Utah were "wiped out" Tuesday by what the mine operator's CEO called continuing "seismic and tectonic activity."

"There is absolutely no way that through our underground rescue effort we can reach the vicinity of the trapped miners for at least one week," said Robert Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, the parent company of the mine's operator.

"We are back to square one," he said.

Murray insists the collapse was caused by an earthquake, although some experts say the collapse itself might have registered on seismographs.

Two holes are being drilled from above ground in hopes that rescuers can make contact with the trapped miners and provide them with lights, food and other items, Murray said.

Crews should know the status of the trapped miners within 48 to 72 hours, but it will take longer to actually reach the men, he said. Watch tearful mom recount son's desperate rescue attempts »

The six men were trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine when it caved in before dawn Monday.

"I will not leave this mine until those men are rescued, dead or alive," Murray said.

Murray said he was confident of the miners' location. Rescue efforts were taking five different tracks and operating around the clock to reach the men, he said. See the rescue efforts outside the mine »

Drilling was expected to begin Tuesday evening, but underground efforts would not recommence until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest, Murray said.

"While this is extremely disappointing news, if the miners survived the concussion of the original earthquake forces, there is plenty of air ... to survive for perhaps weeks," Murray said.

Murray has maintained that an earthquake triggered the collapse, citing University of Utah and U.S. Geological Survey data that he said showed a 4.0 temblor with an epicenter 5,000 feet from where the miners were working at a depth of one mile.

Walter Arabasz, a University of Utah seismologist, said it's too early to pinpoint the cause.

"The evidence in hand is more consistent with the idea that the mine collapse was the source of the seismic waves recorded as the earthquake." A final answer, however, will require further analysis of seismological information, as well as that from the mine, he said.

A "rock burst" measuring on a seismograph would not be "unheard of" in the region, Davitt McAteer, former head of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), said.

Murray accused the media of irresponsible reporting, specifically by quoting individuals who "know nothing about this disaster." "These individuals have given very false statements to the media for their own motives," Murray said.

He singled out several people -- including McAteer, former federal mine safety official Tony Oppegard, and Dennis O'Dell, head of the United Mine Workers of America -- for talking to reporters about the dangerous practice of "retreat mining," saying the technique was not being used at Crandall Canyon.

Typically, miners use a technique known as "room and pillar" mining, working around large coal pillars left in place to support the mine. In retreat mining, as much coal as possible -- including the pillars -- is removed until the mine is intentionally collapsed.

"I wish you would take the word 'retreat mining' out of your vocabulary," Murray told reporters. "Those were words invented by Davitt McAteer, Oppegard -- who are lackeys for the United Mine Workers -- and officials at the United Mine Workers that would like to organize this coal mine."

The UMWA said Monday that retreat mining was taking place at the mine site. On Tuesday, Richard Stickler, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health at the U.S. Department of Labor, told reporters there was "some continuous miner retreat mining done at this operation, from what I've seen at the map" but added he has not had time to take a detailed look and it "appears to be a limited amount."

Asked about Murray's comments, McAteer told CNN it was the federal agency that suggested that retreat mining was taking place at the Crandall Canyon site.

"It's up to the investigators to find out the actual cause of the ... collapse," he said. "And that will be done over a period of time. I think the point here is that we should be focused on trying to rescue these miners and trying to get to them as fast as possible."

Before Tuesday's setback, rescue workers had moved 310 feet toward the trapped miners, who are 2,000 feet from the closest access point and 1,500 feet underground, Murray said.

Six teams with a total of 134 people were dedicated to the rescue effort, he said.

Murray, a former coal miner who said he has been on the scene since the mine collapsed, expressed his frustration at the progress of the search effort.

"In spite of the exhaustive efforts ... I'm disappointed, disappointed with our progress in gaining access to these trapped miners," he said. "But, of course, to us progress is never fast enough in a situation like this."

Murray said earlier that workers were "using every means known to mankind" to reach the men.

Seismic equipment from the U.S. Department of Labor was being flown to Utah on a C-17 cargo aircraft from Pittsburgh, Pentagon officials said.

A drilling rig was brought in by helicopter to bore through the mountain. That drilling effort could get a 2-inch diameter hole to the miners -- enough to get in air, food and water and possibly establish communication.

Roads were bulldozed through forest land to accommodate the heavy equipment needed for a second drilling effort. See where the miners are trapped »

Rescuers on Monday attempted to access the miners by breaching the seals of an old mine, but they were forced to turn around because it was too dangerous.

As the rescue effort went on, families of the trapped miners were being cared for and "being continually kept informed and administered to every second," Murray said.

"Their every need is being taken care of," he said.

The six miners were described as "family men" ranging in age from their early 20s to their late 40s. Three are Mexican nationals, according to the Mexican consulate in Salt Lake City.

Ariana Sanchez, 16, told The Associated Press her father, Manuel Sanchez, 42, is trapped in the mine.

So far, rescue workers have been unable to establish communication with the miners.

"Right now I can't say if it's looking any better," miner Leland Lobato had told AP at the end of his eight-hour shift. "They're doing what they can to keep everybody as fresh as possible so nobody gets tired."

The mine, located about 140 miles south of Salt Lake City, employs about 65 people and yielded nearly 605,000 tons of coal in 2006, according to records from MSHA.

Inspectors have cited Genwal Resources, owner of the mine, for 30 violations in 2007, MSHA records show. Recommended fines in the 10 cases where penalties have been leveled so far range from $60 to $524.

The mine was cited at least 300 times total in the past three years -- with 118 of those citations for violations serious enough to cause death, records show. E-mail to a friend

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