|
 BEACONSFIELD, Australia (AP) - Rescuers used explosives Sunday to blast the final stretch of an escape tunnel in a desperate effort to free two Australian gold miners trapped underground for 12 days in a small steel cage.
Brant Webb, 37, and Todd Russell, 34, have been entombed a half-mile underground since an earthquake caused a rockfall April 25. Mine manager Matthew Gill said progress was painfully slow and it was unlikely that the pair would be freed Sunday.
"The work is hard going and rescuers are now making slow progress using a low shot blasting technique," Gill said. "It is not known how much longer this will take."
|