Crews fear abandoned Pennsylvania mine could collapse amid recovery efforts for woman swallowed by sinkhole
UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — As rescue efforts have turned to recovery amid the search for a missing woman who fell through a sinkhole in Unity Township, search teams fear the abandoned mine property could be at risk of collapsing.
As it got darker and colder Thursday evening, crews wrapped up their third day of searching for 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have been swallowed by a sinkhole and into an abandoned mine while she was trying to find a missing cat.
Police said on Thursday that excavators reached the spot where they believe Pollard is.
"The goal is to remove the dirt and then to come up from underneath and extract that dirt. We're going to take that dirt and put it in separate piles. We're going to have people reviewing that dirt, looking through it, possibly if we could find a cellphone or anything that could be of significance," said Trooper Steve Limani.
Limani said they're also going to bring in cameras to help search through the caverns and dogs will be on standby.
"I like our chances when we get the hole opened up, that between having a dog available, having the camera systems that we have in place available, using the drones and the expertise of the people working the excavators — those guys are first class when it comes to their capabilities. We really like our chances to get close to the scene that we need to get to," Limani said.
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.
Troopers said the mine property has become unstable and is no longer safe for search teams to enter and work in. Now, they plan to dig more of the area out.
Limani said that finding Pollard is a matter of trying to do right by her family.
"We had a conversation with them a couple hours ago about where we thought the investigation was," Limani said on Wednesday. "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."
Tabitha Pollard, Elizabeth Pollard's niece, has been at the site every day to offer support for her uncle and cousin, who she says still hold out hope.
"It's been a battle. I have mixed emotions going on being there for my uncle and my cousin and being here and just keeping up with everything, things like that, so I have reached out for help myself just to make it easier so I'm there for them 100 percent," Tabitha Pollard said.
Crews are using nearly century-old materials to navigate the abandoned mine. Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha says that the Bureau of Mines has provided rescue crews with some hand-drawn maps from the 1940s.
As for whether Pollard's cat has been found, officials said Pepper is still missing.
Dozens of first responders join together to help with sinkhole search
At one point, more than 100 people had responded to the scene to assist in the massive search and rescue effort.
Limani explained how the search has been a dangerous and difficult job — physically, mentally, and emotionally — but they're receiving lots of love from community members and businesses.
Firefighters from countless departments, including many volunteers, responded with Pennsylvania Strike Team 1, the urban search and rescue team serving western Pennsylvania.
"Those guys were in that mine and they were just busting their butt, covered in mud, and doing everything they could to remove debris. They could have moved a mountain, that's how many people that were here and that's how hard they're working," Limani said.
Volunteers help keep crews fed
With temperatures below freezing and wind chills hovering around 7 degrees, crews have been fed and sheltered by not only the owners of Monday's Restaurant but also by the outpouring of support from the surrounding community.
Matthew Alamo, who owns both McDonald's restaurants in Latrobe, says he has been following this story since it broke and says that giving 50 meals to help feed the people who are outside working is the least he and his company can do.
"I actually live right here in Latrobe myself and have been following it closely and it's tragic and so sad. We are all watching closely, but it is also heartfelt and uplifting to see the community and just everybody rallying around this. And I got friends, neighbors and peers, and everyone is just trying to do whatever they can," Alamo said.
Amber Carr from Latrobe said she stopped by to get donations from Walmart.
"I took the dogs out this morning and I realized how cold it was and that these men and women have been out here in this cold for the last few days trying to recover her. So I just wanted to do something nice," Carr said.
Residents who live nearby fear mine subsidence
As crews continue to dig for Elizabeth Pollard, residents nearby are worried after learning parts of the mine's roof have collapsed.
Authorities on the scene couldn't say whether or not the roof collapse could create more risk.
As those who live nearby cope with the intense search and rescue mission underway for 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard, they say they're also stressed about whether they are safe themselves while living on top of the mine.
Philip Reeder, a professor at Duquesne University, has extensive experience working with sinkholes in South Florida.
"It's really a mine sink, where there is an old coal mine and that area is riddled with coal mines, and the coal mines sometimes lose their integrity," Reeder said.
KDKA-TV reached out to the Bureau of Mine Safety and DEP several times on Wednesday to learn if any nearby homes or businesses could be at risk, but have not heard back.
