Seismologist Made the First 911 Call

Aug 28, 08:59 AM

Current Headlines: By JENNIFER DOBNER

By Jennifer Dobner and Chelsea J. Carter

The Associated Press

HUNTINGTON, Utah

A seismologist who detected ground tremors was the first to notify authorities of the cave-in that trapped six miners, even before mine officials called for an ambulance, according to 911 recordings. University of Utah seismologist Walter Arabasz made his call about a potential problem at the Crandall Canyon mine early on Aug. 6, four minutes before mine officials made their call.

The 911 tapes obtained Monday by The Associated Press showed that from the earliest moments, scientists suspected the shaking came from a mine collapse, not a natural earthquake, as mine co-owner Bob Murray has maintained throughout the ordeal that has entered its fourth week.

"Just from the general character of the seismic event, it looks like it might be a coal-mining event," Arabasz said on the tapes.

Also Monday, rescuers drilled a seventh hole into the mine in another long-shot effort to locate the men. In addition, crews were trying to send a robotic camera down one of the holes drilled earlier.

The first 911 call came at 3:47 a.m. from Arabasz in Salt Lake City, 120 miles north of the mine. At 3:51 a.m., a mine employee called for an ambulance.

"We had a big cave-in up here, and we are probably gonna need an ambulance," a voice identifying himself as Mark Toomer told a 911 dispatcher. "We're not for sure yet because we haven't heard from anybody in the section. But we're mostly likely going to need one up here."

The six miners have not been heard from since the cave-in, which filled a mine shaft with rock and coal in the area where the men were working. No one knows whether the men survived the collapse.

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