Rescue dilemma: Town must wrestle with how much longer to go on digging

No one in the town of Huntington, Utah, wants to give up hope that the six miners who have been trapped underground for more than a week are still alive.

You only have to look at pictures taken there to know that there are prayers said every day that good news will be just around the corner.

But last night, the rescue operation to locate the men took another deadly turn. Three rescue workers lost their lives trying to save the others.

So now, the death toll is three, with little to no knowledge of the fate of those who are somewhere buried in the mine.

This is not a call to give up — although some state officials are suggesting that there need to be thoughts of slowing down the rescue efforts that might end up being a recovery mission.

But as we hope for a miracle, we have to start thinking about the potential cost to more families should another rescue attempt fail.

And that means extra caution is paramount.

No one could want a family to have to give up on rescue attempts before every viable option has been exhausted. And it is not time to give up in Utah.

But making sure rescue workers are safe has to be top priority, too.

So, for now, a nation keeps digging — and praying.

Published in Editorials on August 17, 2007 10:48 AM