Reservists Rush Aid to Utah Mine; Navy Begins Diving at Minnesota Bridge

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2007 - Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft are rushing equipment needed to rescue six miners trapped in a cave-in in Huntington, Utah, and Navy divers are ready to begin work at the site of the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis.

The Department of Labor asked for the aircraft to move a seismic vehicle, a shelter, an auxiliary truck and a small number of people to Utah. Pentagon officials said two planes and crews from the 911th Airlift Wing, based in Pittsburgh, flew needed equipment to the site today.

The seismic vehicle is to be used to listen for signs of life in the collapsed mine, labor officials said.

In Minneapolis, about 30 Defense Department personnel are working in support of state and local authorities. "The Navy diving detachment is on site and the salvage team consists of 18 personnel and six-man support team," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

The divers, part of Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit 2 in Little Creek, Va., will search for bodies at the disaster scene and move tons of rubble from the bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River on Aug. 1.

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