2 Found Dead in Search For Trapped Miners in Wales, Police Say
 

By the CNN Wire Staff
September 16, 2011 9:12 a.m. EDT

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/WOR...les.afp.gi.jpg
Police direct emergency vehicles at a cordon as rescue workers try to rescue four Welsh miners.

London (CNN) -- A second of four trapped miners was found dead early Friday as rescue efforts continued in the flooded mine in Wales, British authorities said.
The body of a man found earlier Friday has now been brought to the surface, South Wales Police said. The search for the remaining two missing miners continues.
The four men had been trapped in the Gleision Colliery, in the Swansea Valley, since early Thursday. They are Phillip Hill, 45, from Neath; and Charles Breslin, 62, David Powell, 50, and Garry Jenkins, 39, from the Swansea Valley.
Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the two men found dead. They said the families of the four men had been informed.
Three other miners escaped Thursday, including one who was hospitalized.
Specialist mine rescuers, police, fire and ambulance teams continued efforts at the drift mine overnight.
No contact has been made with the trapped men, but rescuers hope they are in a pocket of air below ground, rescue officer Andrew Watson told CNN on Thursday.
Water was believed to have rushed into the mineshaft where they were working when they broke into a neighboring abandoned mine, he said. Pumps are being used to reduce the level of the water, he said.
First Minister Carwyn Jones, who leads the Welsh government, said it was a "sad day" but urged people not to give up hope for the miners still missing underground.
"I have met with the miners' families this morning and they are showing tremendous bravery and resolve although they are under enormous strain," he said in a statement.
The British government will carry out a full investigation into the incident, Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan said in a statement Friday.
"My heartfelt condolences go out to the families at this distressing time," her statement said.
As of June 2011, 1,500 people in Wales worked in the mining industry. according to government figures.
In a drift mine like the one where the men are trapped, coal is excavated from the side of a hill using shafts that are almost horizontal.