MEXICO: Rescue workers digging with hand tools got closer to 65 Mexican miners trapped underground yesterday after a blast at a coal mine, but emergency services held out little hope the men were still alive, writes Tim Gaynor in San Juan de Sabinas
More than a day after the gas explosion in the northern state of Coahuila, the miners' six-hour oxygen tanks had almost certainly run out, but mine operators hoped that air pockets that might keep the workers alive.
Rescuers were only 100m (110 yards) from where two men had been operating a conveyor belt when the blast happened on Sunday morning. Sergio Robles, head of Coahuila state's civil protection agency, said no contact had been made with any of the miners, but there were unconfirmed rumours that rescuers had heard knocking in the mine, 100km (60 miles) southwest of Eagle Pass, Texas.
An explosive mixture of methane gas underground made the rescue dangerous, and one rescuer said it could take days to reach most of the trapped miners.
"With the atmosphere and the risks, and with time passing, everything is running against us," Mr Robles said.