Rescuers turn to explosives : World News
RESCUERS desperate to reach two trapped Tasmanian miners will use low-impact explosives to blast through the last section of rock, but warn the men are still many hours from freedom.
Frustrated by rock that is much harder than expected, rescuers have revised their strategy to reach Todd Russell, 34, and Brant Webb, 37, who have spent their 12th night trapped underground at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine.
About 50 small holes are being drilled into rock that is five times harder than concrete. Low-impact explosives will then be inserted to break it up.
Rescuers must mine horizontally through 1.5 metres of rock before moving upwards to the cavity where Mr Russell and Mr Webb have been trapped since the evening of April 25.
The decision to revert to explosives was made after a failed earlier attempt to ream out a pilot hole in the rock at the mine.
Residents of the small mining town, who have waited with bated breath since the miners were discovered alive last Sunday, had hoped the men might be out in the early hours of today.
But Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten today said it could be many hours until the men taste freedom.
"The rock that is being encountered is just a lot harder than expectations and the work is painstaking and could take many hours to come yet," he said.
"People within the (mine) organisation, the rescue, thought things might go well.
"But what's happened is when the (rescuers) are actually at the face of this one-metre tunnel, the rock is just incredibly difficult."
Rescuers had switched to drilling after they realised using jack hammers was like "throwing kleenex at rock," he said.
The narrowness of the rescue tunnel means only one rescuer can drill into the rock at any given time.
But he is helped by another rescuer kneeling behind him to help him hold the drill, which weighs up to 40kg.
He said about 50 small holes were being drilled into the rock.
"Then what they might do is (use) a very low-impact explosive ... perhaps gunpowder, comparable to a shotgun pellet," he said.
Mr Shorten said the plan could change, and warned rescuers would reach the men "later rather than sooner".
"We just need to go back to the mantra of slow and steady," he said.
He said the trapped men remained in good spirits.
The rescuers are on six-hour shifts.
"The hard work is being done by three men every six hours, Mr Shorten said.
"It's hard work, but none of the rescuers are sooks."
Earlier, medical experts said the miners would be kept together after their release to ease their readjustment to life.
Launceston General Hospital is preparing to treat the men and chief executive Stephen Ayre said they would probably share a room.
Psychologists had suggested that, and that they not (not) be separated quickly.
Doctors will assess the men for kidney function, deep vein thrombosis and other health problems, Mr Ayre said.
But he said their relative good health may mean they spend only a day or so in hospital.
He warned that the level of media interest in their story could compound their psychological trauma.
"I think probably one of the first things would be the psychological trauma or the shock of suddenly being inundated and being the focus of attention," he told the broadcaster.
"I mean, they're fairly isolated down there, they're only talking to a single person at a time."
Mr Ayre said any celebratory beer the men might have been fantasising about may have to wait.
"It'll depend on their clinical situation," he said.
"If their hydration isn't quite good enough, alcohol can make that worse."
Frustrated by rock that is much harder than expected, rescuers have revised their strategy to reach Todd Russell, 34, and Brant Webb, 37, who have spent their 12th night trapped underground at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine.
About 50 small holes are being drilled into rock that is five times harder than concrete. Low-impact explosives will then be inserted to break it up.
Rescuers must mine horizontally through 1.5 metres of rock before moving upwards to the cavity where Mr Russell and Mr Webb have been trapped since the evening of April 25.
The decision to revert to explosives was made after a failed earlier attempt to ream out a pilot hole in the rock at the mine.
Residents of the small mining town, who have waited with bated breath since the miners were discovered alive last Sunday, had hoped the men might be out in the early hours of today.
But Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten today said it could be many hours until the men taste freedom.
"The rock that is being encountered is just a lot harder than expectations and the work is painstaking and could take many hours to come yet," he said.
"People within the (mine) organisation, the rescue, thought things might go well.
"But what's happened is when the (rescuers) are actually at the face of this one-metre tunnel, the rock is just incredibly difficult."
Rescuers had switched to drilling after they realised using jack hammers was like "throwing kleenex at rock," he said.
The narrowness of the rescue tunnel means only one rescuer can drill into the rock at any given time.
But he is helped by another rescuer kneeling behind him to help him hold the drill, which weighs up to 40kg.
He said about 50 small holes were being drilled into the rock.
"Then what they might do is (use) a very low-impact explosive ... perhaps gunpowder, comparable to a shotgun pellet," he said.
Mr Shorten said the plan could change, and warned rescuers would reach the men "later rather than sooner".
"We just need to go back to the mantra of slow and steady," he said.
He said the trapped men remained in good spirits.
The rescuers are on six-hour shifts.
"The hard work is being done by three men every six hours, Mr Shorten said.
"It's hard work, but none of the rescuers are sooks."
Earlier, medical experts said the miners would be kept together after their release to ease their readjustment to life.
Launceston General Hospital is preparing to treat the men and chief executive Stephen Ayre said they would probably share a room.
Psychologists had suggested that, and that they not (not) be separated quickly.
Doctors will assess the men for kidney function, deep vein thrombosis and other health problems, Mr Ayre said.
But he said their relative good health may mean they spend only a day or so in hospital.
He warned that the level of media interest in their story could compound their psychological trauma.
"I think probably one of the first things would be the psychological trauma or the shock of suddenly being inundated and being the focus of attention," he told the broadcaster.
"I mean, they're fairly isolated down there, they're only talking to a single person at a time."
Mr Ayre said any celebratory beer the men might have been fantasising about may have to wait.
"It'll depend on their clinical situation," he said.
"If their hydration isn't quite good enough, alcohol can make that worse."
posted by worldnews at 12:08 AM
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