UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) – It will take at least another full day of digging to find a woman believed to be swallowed by a sinkhole behind a restaurant in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, state police said.
“Unless it’s a miracle, this is most likely the case [a] recovery [effort]said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Stephen Limani.
The search is on for a missing woman believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in Unity Township. /Credit: Pennsylvania State Police
At a news conference at 5 p.m. Wednesday, state police announced the rescue attempt for the 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard has now transitioned to a recovery effort.
Police, firefighters, mining experts and search and rescue teams spent nearly two full days digging, shoring up and searching an abandoned coal mine behind Monday’s Restaurant on Marguerite Road in Unity Township.
State police said Pollard likely fell into a sinkhole, about the size of a manhole, behind the restaurant sometime between Monday evening and the early hours of Tuesday. She was looking for her cat at the time.
Earlier on Wednesday, state police said the mine had become unstable and it was no longer safe for search teams to enter and work. Now they plan to excavate more of the area.
“Because of the fragile state of the mine, we had to change what we were trying to do,” Limani said. “We basically tried removing dirt, debris and rocks with a suction cup, even using water to soften the debris or even push it out of the way. 1733359152 where we have to excavate a huge area, more than four times the area that we had originally done, to try to secure the mine so that we can gain access to it and try to get in there and mine it to put away.
Ligonier Construction was called in to help excavate the old mine.
“It’s basically pieces of wood and a little piece of rock walls and plywood, and it’s been there for 75 years,” Limani said. “It’s been at the same temperature, it’s actually encapsulated, and it’s basically 55 degrees Celsius and it’s been that way for so long. Now we’re introducing ice cold water, different types of temperatures, you’re creating a very harsh environment for fragile material and those are some of the hurdles we’ve encountered.”
So far, state police said they don’t have a location where Pollard ended up after a fall. They also didn’t hear any noises or noises coming from the mine.
However, Limani said they spotted a lone shoe in the dirt and mud for the second time.
He said the space they work in is as fragile as a “house of cards.”
“Now you’ve built that house and you’re trying to operate in that house to pull out boulders, move dirt, and apply forceful water to break up and suck out clay, all while working with a deck of cards, that’s going to happen. about how fragile it is,” he said.
State police have informed Pollard’s family that the operation is entering a recovery phase.
“It’s just a matter of trying to find her and do right by her family,” Limani said. “We had a conversation with them a few hours ago about where we thought the investigation was. I know we have a lot of hope, and maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope, but based on the fact that the oxygen level is a little bit lower, even though we’ve been pumping oxygen into the mine, it’s lower than what you would want if someone would try to preserve his life.”
Even crews working on site struggled with such a difficult and sensitive operation.
“You risk the safety of yourself and you risk the safety of others for the potential,” Limani said. “As we continue to weigh the risks and the potential keeps getting lower and lower and lower, it feels like a failure. I’m not going to lie. It feels like we failed, but if anyone else gets hurt I think it would be even worse .”
Now that the operation has entered a recovery phase, crews are preparing for the night and will return to the accident scene in the morning. However, state police emphasize that no one is giving up. In the meantime, they are preparing for work during Thursday’s bad weather. Snow accumulation does in the forecast for western Pennsylvania.
They ask for continued support from people who follow their efforts.
State Police also thank the community on behalf of all employees. Limani said the Westmoreland County village where this is all happening is very close-knit.
People and restaurants from all over the world have brought food to keep workers fed and warm.
“Keep rooting for us,” he said.
Abandoned mine declared “unstable”
“During the incident we had over a hundred responders working here all night long,” said Pennsylvania State Trooper Cliff Greenfield. “Some of them have left, many of whom have been replaced by other personnel. Efforts continue today. I would also like to address some rumors that have been circulating. We have been made aware of some rumors, one of which is that Mrs. Pollard has been found. That is not true. We are still actively looking for Mrs. Pollard. We are hopeful that she will be found alive.
In an update Wednesday afternoon, Trooper Greenfield along with Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha provided details on how the search continued and their efforts to find Pollard.
“We are still working on some cameras, some electronic devices and some canines, for various reasons, to locate Ms. Pollard,” Chief Bacha said. “At this point, given the scale of the situation and the condition of the mines, it is no longer possible to send rescue workers.”
Bacha further said that the roof of the abandoned mine had collapsed in several places and was unstable. He said the Bureau of Mines provided them with hand-drawn maps from the 1940s to aid them in their search.
However, oxygen has become a problem.
“It’s a concern for Ms. Pollard now, absolutely. It’s oxygen deprivation,” he said. “At the same time, we had experts from different fields. We often blew air into it. We have fans, that’s what fans are made for – to blow in air and fresh oxygen. At the same time, that can also create another problem in a coal mine. It can pull methane back into an area where we didn’t have methane. At the moment we have no explosive gases.’
At this point, they are still considering this a rescue mission and not a recovery effort.
“We are still actively searching,” Trooper Greenfield said. “We are using these electronic devices, we are just beyond the reach of the rescuers’ hands at this point because of the situations and the danger that comes with them.”
There is a massive search and rescue effort underway in Unity Township
At one point, more than 100 people had arrived on the scene to assist in the massive search and rescue efforts.
Crews worked Tuesday to widen the hole and eventually brought people into the mine area. What appeared to be a shoe was located while crews were setting up cameras and microphones underground, but have not seen or heard Pollard yet.
Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Chief John Bacha said there is still reason to be optimistic; however, because the oxygen level underground was ‘perfect’, with no carbon monoxide or explosive gases in the atmosphere.
Authorities said the temperature inside the mine is warmer than the air outside and estimated it was around 50 degrees Tuesday afternoon, much warmer than the freezing temperatures above ground.
Limani said Pollard’s family is understandably “having a hard time.”
Elizabeth Pollard’s son, Axel Hayes, spoke Tuesday evening about his mother’s disappearance, saying he has experienced many emotions but hopes rescuers will find Pollard alive.
Elizabeth Pollard disappeared in search of her runaway cat
Police believe Elizabeth Pollard fell into a sinkhole while searching for her cat in Unity Township, Westmoreland County. /Credit: (Photo provided by Pennsylvania State Police)
Dozens of first responders, from police to firefighters and search and rescue teams, were on scene at Monday’s Restaurant on Marguerite Road looking for Pollard.
At a press conference Tuesday evening, state police said they have not been able to make contact with Pollard for more than 24 hours after her disappearance, but that crews were able to enter the abandoned mine where she fell and it is still considered a rescue . mission.
State police said Pollard was last seen in the area Monday around 5 p.m. calling for Pepper, her lost cat. Hours later, around 1 a.m. Tuesday, a family member called state police to report that Pollard had not come home.
Troopers searched for her in the area of Monday’s Restaurant and discovered her car parked behind the building just before 3 a.m.
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