Search for missing Pennsylvania woman in "unstable," abandoned coal mine enters recovery phase as crews prepare to dig up larger area of land
UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - At least another full day of digging will be needed to find a woman who is believed to have been swallowed by a sinkhole behind a restaurant in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, state police said.
"Unless it's a miracle, most likely this is [a] recovery [effort]," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Stephen Limani said.
At a 5 p.m. news conference Wednesday, state police said the rescue effort for 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard has now shifted to a recovery effort.
Police, firefighters, mining experts, and search and rescue teams have spent nearly two full days digging, shoring up and searching an abandoned coal mine behind Monday's Restaurant on Marguerite Road in Unity Township.
State police said Pollard likely fell into a sinkhole, about the size of a manhole, behind the restaurant sometime between Monday evening and the early hours of Tuesday. She was looking for her cat at the time.
Earlier on Wednesday, state police said the mine had become unstable and it was no longer safe for search teams to enter and work in. Now, they plan to dig more of the area out.
"Because of the fragile state of the mine, we've had to change what we were trying to do," Limani said. "We were trying to basically suction the removal of dirt and debris and rocks, and even using water to try and soften the debris up or even push it out of our way to [now] where we have to dig out a massive area, more than four times the size of the area that we had originally done, to try and secure the mine so we can access it to try and go in there and recover her."
Ligonier Construction was called in to help with digging out the old mine.
"It's basically pieces of wood and a little bit of rock side walls and plywood, and it's been there for 75 years," Limani said. "It's been at the same temperature, it's basically been encapsulated, and it's basically 55ish degrees and it's been that way for that long. Now we're introducing freezing cold water, different types of temperatures, you're creating a very rough environment for fragile material and that's some of the hurdles we've encountered."
So far, state police said they do not have a location of where Pollard ended up after falling. They also have not heard any sounds or noises from the mine.
However, Limani said they spotted a lone shoe for a second time in the dirt and mud.
He said the space they are working in is as fragile as a "house of cards."
"Now you've built that house and you're trying to operate inside that house to pull out boulders and move dirt and put high-powered water to break up clay and suck it out, all while you're around a deck of cards, that's about how fragile it is," he said.
State police have informed Pollard's family that the operation is moving a recovery phase.
"It's just a matter of trying to find her and do right by her family," Limani said. "We had a conversation with them a couple hours ago about where we thought the investigation was. I know we have a lot of hopes, and maybe there is still a glimmer of hope, but based off of oxygen levels being a little lower, even though we've pumped oxygen into the mine, it's lower than what you would want for someone to try and sustain their life. It's been difficult."
Even crews working at the scene have had a hard time dealing with such a difficult and sensitive operation.
"You're risking the safety of yourself and you're risking the safety of others for the potential," Limani said. "As we keep weighing out the risks and the potential just kept getting lower and lower and lower, it feels like a failure. I'm not going to lie. It feels like we've failed, but if somebody else gets hurt, I think it would be worse."
Now that the operation has moved into a recovery phase, crews are wrapping up for the night and will return to the scene in the morning. State police emphasize though that no one is giving up. In the meantime, they are preparing to work during Thursday's inclement weather. Accumulating snow is in the forecast for western Pennsylvania.
They are asking for continued support from people who are following their efforts.
State police are also thanking the community on behalf of all the workers. Limani said the village of Westmoreland County where this is all taking place is very tightknit.
People and restaurants from all over have been bringing food to keep the workers fed and warm.
"Keep rooting for us," he said.
Abandoned mine declared "unstable"
"Throughout the course of the incident, we have had well over 100 emergency personnel here at the site working through the night," said Pennsylvania State Trooper Cliff Greenfield. "Some of them have left, many of which have been replaced by other personnel. The efforts are ongoing today. I'd like to also address some rumors that have been going around. We've been made aware of some rumors, one being that Ms. Pollard has been found. That is false. We are still actively searching for Ms. Pollard. We are hopeful that she is found alive."
In an update on Wednesday afternoon, Trooper Greenfield along with Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha, provided details on how the search has continued and their efforts to find Pollard.
"We're still working on some cameras, some electronic devices, some canines, for various reasons, to go through and trying to locate Ms. Pollard," Chief Bacha said. "At this point, the scope of the situation and the condition of the mines, it's beyond sending rescuers in."
Bacha went on to say that the roof of the abandoned mine had collapsed in several places and it was unstable. He said that the Bureau of Mines provided them with hand-drawn maps from the 1940s to help them with their search.
However, oxygen has become a concern.
"It's now a concern for Ms. Pollard, absolutely. It's oxygen deficient," he said. "At the same time, we've had experts from various areas. Many times we would blow air into it. We have fans, fans are made for that - to blow air, fresh oxygen in. At the same time, that can also create another problem in a coal mine. It can actually pull methane back into an area where we didn't have methane. Right now we have no explosive gases."
Massive search and rescue effort underway in Unity Township
At one point, more than 100 people had responded to the scene to assist in the massive search and rescue effort.
Crews worked on widening the hole Tuesday and eventually got people down into the mine area. What appeared to be shoe was located while crews were putting cameras and mics underground, but they haven't seen or heard Pollard as of yet.
Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha said no carbon monoxide or explosive gases were detected in the atmosphere underground.
Authorities said the temperature in the mine is warmer than the outside air, estimating it was around 50 degrees Tuesday afternoon, much warmer than freezing temperatures above ground.
Limani said Pollard's family is understandably "having a rough go with it."
Elizabeth Pollard's son, Axel Hayes, spoke about his mother's disappearance on Tuesday evening, saying he has gone through many emotions, but hopes first responders find Pollard alive.
Elizabeth Pollard disappeared looking for her runaway cat
Dozens of first responders, from police to firefighters and search and rescue teams, were on the scene at Monday's Restaurant on Marguerite Road looking for Pollard.
In a press conference on Tuesday evening, state police said they haven't been able to make contact with Pollard more than 24 hours after she disappeared, but crews have been able to get into the abandoned mine where she fell and it's still considered a rescue mission.
State police said Pollard was last seen in the area around 5 p.m. on Monday calling for Pepper, her lost cat. Hours later, around 1 a.m. Tuesday, a family member called state police to report that Pollard had not come home.
Troopers went out searching for her in the area of Monday's Restaurant and discovered her car just before 3 a.m. parked behind the building.