Last Miner Lost in Quake Dies After Rescue

The second of two miners missing almost two days 1,600 feet underground suffered a heart attack as rescuers lifted him out of the mine Sunday. He died hours later.

The other miner, rescued Saturday night, was in good condition at a hospital.

The miners got lost after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit the region Friday morning, raining rocks on workers inside the Solvay Minerals trona mine in southwestern Wyoming.

Trona is used in making baking soda and glass.

Mine officials believe that after the two became separated from other miners, they couldn’t find their way out of the maze of mine shafts, which were thrown into darkness after the quake.

Solvay had shut off electric lights in the mine to avoid a methane gas explosion, said Rick Casey, Solvay vice president of operations.

Mike Anderson, 26, had a heart attack as rescue crews moved him through the 1 1/2 miles of mine shafts to the surface, Solvay President Dick Hogan said Sunday at a news conference.

Anderson died in a hospital about three hours later. He was conscious when rescuers found him Sunday just before 6 a.m. and had a head injury that may have been caused by falling rocks.

Rescuers found Dan Jereb, 28, conscious but disoriented, walking around in the mine Saturday night near where he was working at the time the quake struck.

Fifty-five miners were in the mine at the time of the earthquake. Nine suffered minor injuries from falling rocks.