Rescue workers were trying to make their way to the miners, but as of Monday afternoon, there had been no contact with the six.

A Mine Workers (UMWA) spokesman said the union’s thoughts and prayers are with the trapped miners and their families. The Genwal mine, near Huntington about 140 miles south of Salt Lake City, is a nonunion operation owned by Utah American Energy.

According to the Associated Press, first reports indicated an earthquake may have been the cause of the cave-in because a 4.0 magnitude earthquake was reported at the same time. However, Walter Arabasz, head of the University of Utah’s Seismograph Stations, told the wire service, "The seismic waves are consistent with the idea that the mine collapse caused the earthquake."

Following the deadly year in the mines in 2006, when 47 workers were killed, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 10 miners have died on the job so far this year.

With last year’s death toll the highest since 1996, Congress passed the first major mine safety legislation in more than three decades. While the UMWA and other mine safety advocates call the MINER Act a good first step to shoring up mine safety, they say much more needs to be done.

In March, a Senate committee held hearings to examine how effectively the Bush administration was implementing the MINER Act’s requirements and what additional safety measures were needed. The committee found there had been foot-dragging on the part of the MSHA and that far more sweeping safety measures were needed.

Safety legislation introduced in June would improve emergency response plans, greatly strengthen federal enforcement of safety and health rules and reduce coal miners’ exposure to black lung-causing coal dust.

Reprinted from the AFL-CIO news site, http://blog.aflcio.org