Update: Rescue Op Now a Recovery Effort at Sinkhole in Westmoreland County, PA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(TNS)
Dec. 4—A search-and-rescue operation for a woman suspected of falling down a 30-foot sinkhole in Westmoreland County has shifted to a recovery mission, state police said Wednesday evening.
Although they are holding out a "glimmer of hope," crews have conceded the operation that has been ongoing since early Tuesday along Marguerite Road in Unity Township has turned into an attempt to recover the remains of Elizabeth Pollard, 64, said state police Trooper Steve Limani.
"I'd be lying to you if I said it didn't feel like a loss."
Rather than being an around-the-clock operation, recovery efforts will now take place from dawn to dusk beginning Thursday, Trooper Limani said.
As of Wednesday evening, crews had worked for nearly two full days to locate Ms. Pollard, who was last seen on Monday while searching for her missing cat, Pepper. Her family reported her missing around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, and her car was found two hours later with her 5-year-old granddaughter inside, scared but unhurt.
About 20 feet from the car was a sinkhole with an opening about the size of a street manhole cover, which authorities suspect opened up as Ms. Pollard walked across the ground toward a wooded area near Monday's Union Restaurant.
Trooper Limani said the sinkhole, a remnant of an abandoned mine that spans miles, was becoming "progressively more dangerous" for responders.
"That mine is not in good condition, and it's got areas of where it started to collapse and decay and buckle a little bit, and we were afraid we'd make it worse if we tried to continue to plow forward with the techniques we were using," he said.
By Wednesday afternoon, crews had shifted to using excavators to dig out a "massive" area more than four times the size of the original site to find the safest location to penetrate the mine and locate Ms. Pollard. Trooper Limani said that recovery may also come at the cost of a nearby building.
"We've had that [conversation] with the owners of this establishment, and you know what? They get it, and they care more about her safety," he said.
Earlier in the rescue efforts, engineers used cold water to help flush dirt from the hole that was causing distress on the integrity of the mine. It became too dangerous to continue sending crews into the cavernous hole when the roof of the mine collapsed overnight Wednesday.
Trooper Limani emphasized how unstable the mine was, comparing it to "a house of cards."
"We're going to work smart and make sure that we don't create a more horrific scenario for the people in this community and potentially collapse that entire mine," he said.
Before making the call to transition to recovery efforts, Trooper Limani said he had a "very heartfelt" conversation with Ms. Pollard's family.
"It was emotional for all of us involved," he said tearfully. "I think they get it, but we're going to, we're going to recover her, and we're going to do right by that."
During search efforts, crews found several other areas above the mine that were deemed unsafe, Trooper Limani said. The public is barred from the site, which is under 24/7 police surveillance.
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation is actively investigating the sinkhole and the DEP Bureau of Mine Safety "continues to work closely with state police and local responders."
"Once police and emergency response have cleared the scene, the DEP will work to determine if the sinkhole formed as the result of abandoned mine subsidence, and then evaluate next steps at that time," Regional Communications Manager Lauren Camarda said.
The DEP is responsible for resolving problems related to mining performed prior to 1977.
The sinkhole leads to the Marguerite Mine, which was developed, mined, and then abandoned by the H.C. Frick Coke Co. by the middle of the last century. Some 20 feet below the surface, the mine used to feed coal to coke ovens and then steel mills in Pittsburgh and across the eastern U.S.
One of many such mines along a strip spanning from Derry Township to Mount Pleasant, the Marguerite Mine took up more than 1,000 acres underground, according to digitized mine maps available from the DEP.
By Wednesday afternoon, the search effort had grown to more than 100 police, fire, EMS, engineers and mine subsidence experts. Members of the Pennsylvania Urban Search & Rescue team also worked in shifts to conduct operations.
Trooper Limani called the rescue efforts more complex and intricate than anything he's seen in the span of his 26-year career.
"You know, it feels like a failure," he said. "But if somebody else gets hurt, I think it would be worse."
Reporter Anya Litvak contributed.
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