Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010
Pennsylvania Miners Rescued Alive
Shortly before 9 p.m. on July 24, 2002, nine Pennsylvania miners — working with a map that turned out to be incorrect — accidentally hit an abandoned mine. Millions of gallons of water that had accumulated over decades rushed over the workers, trapping them 240 feet underground. After pinpointing their location via satellite tracker, rescue crews drilled a narrow hole down into the shaft, pumping in air to pressurize the chamber and keep the water at bay. Then they drilled a larger hole, finally getting close enough to the miners to lift them to the surface in a metal cage one at a time. After 77 harrowing hours, all nine men emerged alive with minor injuries.