Quake Jolts Mine; Two Men Missing

An earthquake shook a mining area in southwestern Wyoming Friday, and two workers were missing in a mine about 1,600 feet underground.

The 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit the region about 150 miles east of Salt Lake City about 8:26 a.m., said the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.

There were 55 miners inside the Solvay Minerals’ trona mine at the time of the earthquake, said Al Harris, a spokesman for the Sweetwater County Emergency Management Agency. Trona is a mineral used in making baking soda and glass.

“Fifty-three came out and the ones that came out were pretty scared,” he said. Nine of them suffered minor injuries from falling debris.