Search teams fear abandoned mine could collapse amid recovery efforts for missing woman who fell through sinkhole

By Mike Darnay and Lauren Linder

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    UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — As rescue efforts have turned to recovery amid the search for a missing woman who fell through a sinkhole in Unity Township, search teams fear the abandoned mine property could be at risk of collapsing.

Pennsylvania State Police said Wednesday that at least another full day of digging will be needed to try and find 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have been swallowed by a sinkhole and into an abandoned mine while she was trying to find a missing cat.

Police, firefighters, mining experts, and search and rescue teams have spent nearly two full days digging, shoring up and searching an abandoned coal mine behind Monday’s Restaurant on Marguerite Road.

Troopers said the mine property has become unstable and is no longer safe for search teams to enter and work in. Now, they plan to dig more of the area out.

State Police Trooper Steve Limani said that finding Pollard is a matter of trying to do right by her family.

“We had a conversation with them a couple hours ago about where we thought the investigation was,” Limani said on Wednesday. I know we have a lot of hopes, and maybe there is still a glimmer of hope, but based off of oxygen levels being a little lower, even though we’ve pumped oxygen into the mine, it’s lower than what you would want for someone to try and sustain their life. It’s been difficult.”

Crews are using nearly century-old materials to navigate the abandoned mine.

Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha says that the Bureau of Mines has provided rescue crews with some hand-drawn maps from the 1940s.

Crews resumed working on Thursday around 7:15 a.m. after pausing for the night.

At one point, more than 100 people had responded to the scene to assist in the massive search and rescue effort.

Limani explained how the search has been a dangerous and difficult job — physically, mentally, and emotionally — but they’re receiving lots of love from community members and businesses.

Firefighters from countless departments, including many volunteers, responded with Pennsylvania Strike Team 1, the urban search and rescue team serving western Pennsylvania.

“Those guys were in that mine and they were just busting their butt, covered in mud, and doing everything they could to remove debris. They could have moved a mountain, that’s how many people that were here and that’s how hard they’re working,” Limani said.

As crews continue to dig for Elizabeth Pollard, residents nearby are worried after learning parts of the mine’s roof have collapsed.

Authorities on the scene couldn’t say whether or not the roof collapse could create more risk.

As those who live nearby cope with the intense search and rescue mission underway for 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard, they say they’re also stressed about whether they are safe themselves while living on top of the mine.

KDKA-TV reached out to the Bureau of Mine Safety and DEP several times on Wednesday to learn if any nearby homes or businesses could be at risk, but have not heard back.

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