Three rescuers killed trying to reach missing US miners

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Three rescuers killed trying to reach missing US miners

A mine caved in on rescuers trying to reach six miners trapped under a Utah mountain, killing three men and adding to the tragedy of the increasingly desperate search operation.

Utah state governor Jon Huntsman on Friday called for a rethink of the 12-day search for the miners trapped in the Genwal Mine in Crandall Canyon.

"I think the underground mining is going to cease, for the time being," he said adding that above ground drilling could still be used to try to pinpoint the location of the original group of six missing mine workers.

Six other rescuers were injured in the latest accident, and were being treated in a Utah hospital.

Speaking after a hospital visit with rescuers' relatives early Friday, Huntsman hailed the sacrifice of those who died.

"There is nothing more selfless than giving your life in pursuit of saving another," he said.

Huntsman added that he will push for a suspension of rescue operations unless there are absolute guarantees of workers' safety.

"We as a state don't want any more injuries. We've had enough," he said, calling the disaster "a defining moment" for the mining industry.

On Thursday, US Labor Department spokesman Rich Kulczewski said the mine had experienced a "seismic bump," which can occur when pressure bearing down on a mine forces a tunnel's roof or walls to cave in.

He refused to be drawn on whether the rescue operation at the site, located in a remote mountainous region around 120 miles (193 kilometers) southeast of Salt Lake City, would now be abandoned.

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"That's something that has to be decided," he told reporters.

The accident came on the 11th day of the operation to locate six miners, who were buried 1,500 feet (450 meters) in the original cave-in on August 6.

There has been no contact with the missing men since the accident, although officials have refused to give up hope of finding them alive.

Rescuers -- all colleagues of the missing men -- have been digging slowly towards the chamber where the miners were believed to be working.

Progress has been hindered by seismic activity at the mine. Mine-owner Robert Murray said last weekend that conditions in the mine were the "most difficult I have seen in over 50 years."

Janet Frank, an official at the Utah Medical Center, said one rescuer had died after being airlifted to the facility suffering from "multiple traumas".

Two others died late Thursday of their injuries, media reports said citing hospital officials.

Murray said this week that some miners involved in the rescue effort had asked to be withdrawn because they feared for their safety.

Rescuers have drilled three bore holes into the area of the mine where the missing men were believed to be but have so far detected no sign of life.

Officials said no further noises had been heard after a microphone picked up faint sounds that raised hopes.

A listening device detected vibrations but rescuers were unable to pinpoint the source of the noise, officials said Wednesday.

Murray said there had been no further noises overnight, and played down hopes that the sounds could have been the six men signaling for help.

"We've said all along, those sounds could have been anything," Murray said. "They could have been anything from water running, somebody walking on the surface, or thunder which was going on when we picked those sounds up."

The Utah drama has revived memories of the doomed effort to reach 13 miners trapped by an explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia in January 2006. Only one survived after being buried underground for 41 hours.

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