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Rock crust slows effort to rescue miners

BEACONSFIELD (Australia): Two Australian miners trapped under tonnes of rock deep inside a collapsed gold mine were about a metre away from freedom on Sunday, as rescuers battled to drill the final section of an escape tunnel.

Working round the clock, a team of miners using pneumatic drills tried to punch through a 1.5-metres crust of rock separating them from Brant Webb (37) and Todd Russell (34), who have been entombed in a steel cage almost 1 km underground for 12 days.

``Most Olympic athletes would struggle in the conditions these hard rock miners are working in,'' said union official Bill Shorten told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. ``It's not glamorous, they are average men who are doing outstanding things.''

The men, both married with three children, have been trapped since an earthquake caused a rockfall on April 25. Over the past week, rescuers have bored through more than 14 metres of rock using a giant drilling machine in an effort to reach the men.

But cutting the final stage of the escape tunnel has been slow and arduous work, as miners have switched to hand tools in order to avoid causing a cave-in.

Mr. Shorten said the rescue workers were directly below the cavity where Mr. Webb and Mr. Russell have survived for more than 280 hours, and were drilling vertically through the rock.

Only one miner at a time could work in the cramped tunnel, lying on his back and wielding a 40-kg drill above his head.

The mood was sombre but determined at Beaconsfield Gold Mine in the southern island State of Tasmania.

Officials had hoped the men would be freed in the early hours of Saturday morning, prompting hundreds of local residents to gather at the mine's gates eager to catch a glimpse of the men who have become local heroes.

But celebrations turned to frustration on Sunday as the solid rock barrier, five times harder than concrete, caused the rescue effort to inch along.

Mr. Shorten said Mr. Webb and Mr. Russell were coping well with the delays and said they were in the ``right mental state.''

Mine manager Matthew Gill said it was possible the men could be freed on Monday but cautioned that the rescue effort was difficult and dangerous. — AP

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