Lucky Friday miner, Brad Sala, of Mullan holds his 8 month-old-son Cael Sala during the press conference at Mullan City Hall today. One miner is still trapped in the mine after a cave in. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

Community members and media accounts have confirmed the identity of the miner trapped more than a mile underground at the Lucky Friday Mine. Larry “Pete” Marek, a longtime Silver Valley miner, has been the subject of an intense rescue effort since a collapse at the mine Friday evening. Company officials continued to call their efforts a rescue operation nearly 24 hours after the roof of a tunnel where the miner was extracting silver-bearing ore collapsed.“We’re doing everything we can to reach the employee,” said Phillips Baker, Hecla’s chief executive officer. “Our current focus in 100 percent on the rescue of the employee and to ensure the safety of the rescue team”/Becky Kramer & John Stucke, SR. More here.

Update: Special digging machine arrives in Mullan to aid search for missing miner/Spokesman-Review