救援人员向西维吉尼亚州星期一发生爆炸的矿井内钻了第一个通风孔，但没有听到四名失踪矿工的生还迹象。星期一的爆炸事件导致25人丧生。
西维吉尼亚州州长乔.曼钦星期三在新闻发布会上说，在梅西能源属下的这个矿井，救援人员敲打通向井下的管道，但没有听到任何回应。
救援队正在向330多米深的井下钻探另外三个深孔，以排出有毒气体，然后到达一个六米宽的井室，有关官员认为四名矿工就困在这个井室。
高浓度危险的瓦斯和一氧化碳使搜寻救援队的进展受阻，他们不能更快地到达井下和搜索已经证实死亡的14名矿工的尸体。州长曼钦和煤矿安全官员凯文.斯特里克林说，救援行动还受到爆炸所造成破坏的阻碍。他们说，那个井室又窄又黑，里面还有许多损毁的设备。
Rescue workers have drilled the first hole into a West Virginia coal mine where an explosion Monday killed 25 people, but heard no signs of life from the four miners still missing.
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin said at a news conference Wednesday that rescuers banged on pipes at Massey Energy's mine but heard no response from below.
Rescue teams are drilling three additional boreholes more than 330 meters deep to ventilate toxic gases and reach a six-meter-wide chamber where officials believe the miners are.
A build-up of dangerous methane gas and carbon-monoxide has hampered search-and-rescue teams from reaching them faster, as well as recovering the bodies of 14 confirmed dead still in the mine.
Governor Manchin and mine safety official Kevin Stricklin said rescue operations also were hampered by the damage caused by the explosion. They said the chamber was narrow, dark and full of mangled equipment.
