Miners’ relatives demanding update
Tempers flared and hope dimmed among hundreds of relatives holding vigil Tuesday for 65 coal miners trapped three days ago by an explosion and collapse.
Emergency crews continued working around the clock with hand tools, but cave-ins and other obstructions kept them more than 150 feet away from the location where several of the miners were trapped. There has been no sign of life from the site, about two kilometers from the mine entrance.
Families massed against the gates to the mine entrance, by late afternoon shouting for an update from government officials and Grupo Mexico, owners of the mine, located about 85 miles southwest of the Texas border town of Eagle Pass.
Many of the relatives have been there since they learned of the explosion early Sunday.
Guinsaugon, Philippines
Rescuers unable to locate school
Uncertain if they were even digging in the right place, emergency crews tried to find a mud-swamped elementary school today as fears grew that time may have run out for rescuing any more survivors of a massive landslide.
Teams of Philippine soldiers and U.S. Marines, along with Malaysian and Taiwanese experts, had suspended the search overnight because of concern that rain was making the area more prone to further landslides.
“We have not found any structure to indicate the location of the school,” said Joel Son, in charge of a group of miners working at the site. “It’s all mud.”
Hopes for a miracle have focused on the school largely because of unconfirmed reports that survivors there sent mobile phone text messages to relatives shortly after the landslide hit Friday.
The official death toll rose to 107, but authorities fear it could surpass 1,000.
Lagos, Nigeria
Militants refusing direct negotiations
Militants holding nine foreign oil-workers hostage refused to negotiate directly with the Nigerian government Tuesday, while crude oil prices climbed on worries that the country’s recent pipeline attacks could disrupt global supply.
The West African nation – the United States’ fifth-largest oil supplier – is reeling from weekend attacks in which militants blasted oil and gas pipelines and sabotaged a key oil-loading terminal belonging to Shell Oil Co.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said there have been no negotiations for the release of the hostages – three Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais, one Briton and one Filipino – who were seized Saturday.
The militants called for independent negotiators.
The militants are pressing for the release of two of the region’s leaders from prison and greater control of oil revenues.