A Real Fucking Tradgedy

Efforts to free Utah coal miners continueThe Associated PressPublished: August 14, 2007


HUNTINGTON, Utah: Rescuers are running out of options to rescue six Utah coal miners trapped by a cave-in nearly 10 days ago, and experts are giving long odds against finding the men alive.
As crews slowly dig a path to the men's presumed location at the Crandall Canyon mine, narrow drill holes sunk deep into the mountain amount to little more than educated guesses. The men could be huddled together or spread out anywhere in a huge underground area.
That is if they survived at all, experts say. The Aug. 6 cave-in released low-oxygen air from sealed chambers into the working area of the mine. And downward pressure on the walls sent chunks of coal flying like bullets through the shaft.
"There's always a chance. You have to hang on to that chance. But realistically it is small, quite small," said J. Davitt McAteer, former head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration and now vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia. "You would have to have every single break and divine intervention to successfully extract these guys."
Two holes drilled into the mine have not located them, and a third drill broke through Wednesday into an area where officials say the men MAY have sought refuge after the collapse. But rescuers were unable to get a microphone into the void that could pick up sounds of life. They planned to try again.



Approx. 35% of all manufactured items, use raw materials that come from mining.The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 675,000 are employed in the natural resources and mining sector. China employs over 12 million, and reported 6000 deaths last year, but independant observers report that the figure is closer to 20,000 dead.

So, why is the following technology, not made mandatory for all miners to have a better chance for survival, in the event of an accident?


Recent Mine-1-1 Satellite Simulcast Demonstration to Mine Safety and Health Administration RepresentativesTuesday May 29, 9:30 am ET
VANCOUVER, BC--(MARKET WIRE)--May 29, 2007 -- iPackets International, Inc. ("iPackets" or "Company") (Other OTC:IPKL.PK - News), a developer and provider of wireless communications software and equipment for the mine-safety industry, confirmed today that the recent successful Mine-1-1 underground demonstration was viewed live, via a satellite simulcast, by representatives of the Mine Safety and Health Administration ("MSHA").

MSHA is part of the U.S. Department of Labor and its mission is to administer the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, and to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents; to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents; to minimize health hazards; and to promote improved safety and health conditions in the Nation's mines.
Utilizing the satellite uplink capability of the MobileNet(TM) product, a component of the Mine-1-1 offering, the demonstration was simultaneously transmitted live from a coal mine to the National Mine Health and Safety Academy offices in Beckley, West Virginia. MSHA representatives, in the Beckley office, viewed the underground movement of the miners and the capability of real-time messaging.

Hugh McDavid, President of Mainline Communications, Inc., who was present at the remote demonstration, said, "Not only did the demonstration show definitively that the Mine-1-1 solution provides real-time tracking and monitoring of miners as they move about the mine, as well as two-way voice and data communication with the miners, the remote viewing of the demo showcased the unparalleled flexibility of the system. Nothing else on the market compares with this technology."
"This was a home run! The Mine-1-1 solution was very adaptable to the environment that it was deployed in and performed great," stated Miner Lawrence, Director of Project Management and Advanced Solution Systems for AFL Network Services. "Within a few hours we deployed the wireless network, monitored the team below ground, and demonstrated other advanced services over the network without any problems."
Mr. Lawrence also stated that it was a great team effort. "I'm very proud to be a part of something that will assist with making a safer work environment for the mine workers. It's amazing when you stop to think about everything that took place -- you can see the excitement in the faces of the mine workers standing there.

I wonder why the Press makes no mention of this technology?