The Latest: Bent beam eyed in NY mine elevator mishap

The Latest: Bent beam eyed in NY mine elevator mishap


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LANSING, N.Y. (AP) — The latest on 17 miners who were stuck in an elevator at a salt mine in central New York (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

A spokesman for a New York salt mine owner says it appears a beam that kept an elevator car aligned in the mine shaft bent or broke before 17 miners got stuck in it 90 stories underground.

Spokesman Mark Klein says Cargill Inc. is looking at that possibility as it and authorities explore what went wrong at the Cayuga (kay-OO'-gah) mine in central New York. The miners were rescued Thursday morning after about 10 hours.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration says it hasn't determined what caused the problem. The agency's records show a circuit breaker problem briefly halted the lift Saturday during a test trip with no one underground.

Agency official Neal Merrifield says the mine has a very good safety record.

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8:45 a.m.

All 17 miners who were stuck hundreds of feet below the surface in an elevator at the deepest salt mine in the Western Hemisphere have been rescued.

Cargill Inc. spokesman Mark Klein says the last two miners were raised to the surface by a crane around 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the mine in the central New York town of Lansing.

Their rescue ended an ordeal that lasted about 10 hours. Klein says the miners were never in danger.

Klein says the miners got stuck 900 feet underground around 10 p.m. Wednesday while descending to the floor of the 2,300-foot-deep mine to start their shift.

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8:30 a.m.

Two miners remain stuck in an elevator at the deepest salt mine in the Western Hemisphere.

Cargill Inc. spokesman Mark Klein says 15 other miners have been raised to the surface at the company's mine in the central New York town of Lansing.

The rescue operation continues for the remaining miners. Klein says they aren't in danger.

Klein says the miners got stuck around 10 p.m. Wednesday while descending to the floor of the 2,300-foot-deep mine to start their shift.

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7:50 a.m.

Eight of 17 miners stuck in an elevator at the deepest salt mine in the Western Hemisphere have been rescued.

Cargill Inc. spokesman Mark Klein says four miners were raised to the surface in a basket around 7 a.m. Thursday at the company's mine in the central New York town of Lansing. Four more were rescued around 7:30 a.m.

The rescue operation continues for the remaining miners. Klein says they aren't in danger.

Klein says the miners got stuck around 10 p.m. Wednesday while descending to the floor of the 2,300-foot-deep mine to start their shift.

Klein says emergency workers have been able to get supplies to the miners.

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7:20 a.m.

Four of 17 miners stuck in an elevator 900 feet underground at a central New York salt mine have been rescued.

Cargill Inc. spokesman Mark Klein says four miners were raised to the surface in a basket around 7 a.m. Thursday at the company's mine in Lansing, about 40 miles outside Syracuse.

The rescue operation continues for the remaining miners. Klein says they aren't in danger.

Klein says the miners got stuck around 10 p.m. Wednesday while descending to the floor of the 2,300-foot-deep mine to start their shift.

He says emergency officials are able to communicate with the miners via radio.

The mine operated by Minneapolis-based Cargill produces road salt that's shipped throughout the northeast.

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6:45 a.m.

Seventeen miners are stuck in an elevator 900 feet underground at a central New York salt mine and emergency crews are working on a rescue.

Cargill Inc. spokesman Mark Klein says the miners got stuck around 10 p.m. Wednesday while descending to the floor of the company's 2,300-foot-deep mine in Lansing, about 40 miles outside Syracuse.

Klein says emergency rescue crews and equipment are on the scene and the miners aren't in danger. He says emergency officials are able to communicate with the miners via radio.

A crane has been brought to the scene and will be used to hoist the miners to the surface in a basket. Klein says he doesn't know how long the rescue operation will take.

The mine operated by Minneapolis-based Cargill produces road salt that's shipped throughout the northeast.

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6:15 a.m.

Seventeen miners are stuck in an elevator 900 feet underground at a central New York salt mine and emergency crews are working on a rescue.

Emergency management officials say rescue equipment is on the scene and the miners aren't in danger.

Tompkins County Emergency Management officials say the miners have been trapped since late Wednesday night at the Cargill Salt Mine in Lansing, about 40 miles outside Syracuse.

Authorities tell local media that they're able to communicate with the miners and have managed to get them blankets, heat packs, and other supplies.

Cargill's website says the mine just north of Ithaca has been in operation since 1922 and annually processes about 2 million tons of road salt that's shipped throughout the northeast United States.

Messages left at Cargill's corporate headquarters were not immediately returned early Thursday.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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