Found Deceased PA - Elizabeth Pollard, F/64 - Near Sinhole - Unity Township, Westmoreland County - 2 December 2024

[steeltowngirl]

Crews worked on widening the hole Tuesday and eventually got people into the mine area. They've been putting cameras and mics down, and while they did find what appears to be a shoe, they haven't seen or heard Pollard yet. However, they say there is reason to be optimistic.

"All oxygen levels have been perfect. No carbon monoxide, no explosive gases, no anything. The atmosphere has been perfect at this point so we still have some hope that there's a void and we'll be able to get there with an excavation company," said Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha.

Authorities said the temperature in the mine is warmer than the outside air, estimating it was around 50 degrees Tuesday afternoon, much warmer than freezing temperatures above ground.

[…]
More than 24 hours later, Limani said they're still considering it a rescue effort instead of a recovery effort.

"There's people that were in mines an hour from here that were in there longer and were recovered and saved," he said. "That doesn't mean that this can't happen here. It doesn't mean she can't be in a pocket somewhere. The fact that we didn't find her immediately could be a good thing, right? Maybe she was able to move to a different location. The ceiling, it looks like, is pretty high once you get down into the mine, to the point where it almost looks like a human could traverse it and walk it.”

Missing Pennsylvania woman believed to have fallen into sinkhole while searching for cat

First responders in Westmoreland County are searching for a 64-year-old woman who reportedly fell in a 30-foot sinkhole in Unity Township.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

@KDKA
The abandoned mine where rescue efforts are underway to locate a missing woman who fell into a sinkhole is starting to become compromised and unsafe, Pennsylvania State Police said early this morning.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864266070795620410

 

[Kittybunny]

@KDKA
The abandoned mine where rescue efforts are underway to locate a missing woman who fell into a sinkhole is starting to become compromised and unsafe, Pennsylvania State Police said early this morning.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864266070795620410

I was really hoping to wake up this morning and see that she had been rescued. Alas this is not the case. Hoping daylight maybe will guide her back to the entrance!

 

[steeltowngirl]

I was really hoping to wake up this morning and see that she had been rescued. Alas this is not the case. Hoping daylight maybe will guide her back to the entrance!

I’m beginning to consider she’s not even in there and the sinkhole is coincidental. I would think they already searched the nearby woods, in the event she went in there to find her cat, and perhaps fell.

 

[steeltowngirl]

At least one report says the cat was found.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Is that Elizabeth’s house? It seems dangerously close to the sinkhole. Depending on the size and width of the underground mine, I’m concerned for the house collapsing. A concern that is, of course, secondary to locating Elizabeth.

jmo

No that’s the back of the restaurant IMO, by looking at all videos and pictures in MSN published in this thread, the hole should be where I have indicated the red circle:

Source : Marguerite Rd · Unity Township, Pennsylvania

Pa. grandmother looking for her missing cat may have fallen into 30-foot sinkhole

Approximately 100 first responders, police and volunteers are assisting with the search efforts Tuesday.

www.pennlive.com

 

[truthfinder2019]

This photo confirms it:

Source and credit :

Abandoned mine at the heart of search for woman who fell through a sinkhole is becoming unsafe, police say

Crews are still working to locate 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in Unity Township while she was out searching for a missing cat.

www.cbsnews.com

From above link:
the cold water that experts and engineers are using to help flush dirt out of the mine is causing distress on the integrity of the mine.
experts and engineers have a plan that will consist of a lot more digging and putting supports in place to help support the mine's structure.

More in article

I really pray she can be rescued, but I wonder how they are so certain Elizabeth is in there.
It s really bad destiny to have a sinkhole forming the moment you walk by in the same place you are standing. Wasn’t even that large to start with. Such bad luck incredible.

 

[Poedelini]

I can't believe how incredibly unlucky she is. Im hoping with all my heart that she is found alive.

 

[LoveyG]

This is horrifying. A worst nightmare come true. Imagine falling 30 feet into a pitch black mine, and you are all alone. Awful, terrible, horrible. I hope she will see their lights and know they are coming.

Edit: If that isn't terrifying enough, Google "what lives in an abandoned mine"

 

[Linear13]

A similar thing happened to my dad when we were working in the woods. He was walking through an area that looked completely normal when suddenly the ground under his feet gave way. Luckily he was wearing a backpack sprayer and that kept him from falling all the way into the hole. In this case, after we pulled him out, it looked like an underground source of water had slowly eaten away the soil and rock until only a small patch of dirt and grass remained on top. The hole was very deep and if he had hit the bottom it would have required rescue as well to get him out.

I feel a similar situation happened here. I would say she saw no hole in the ground. Probably as she walked either away from or towards the car she stepped on that particular spot and it gave way. What worries me is that as she fell she was buried in the dirt and debris that came off the sides of the hole. Praying she is found alive.

All MOO and speculation

 

[arielilane]

@CentreCountyRep

Rescuers re-thinking the safest way to search for woman who apparently fell into a Marguerite PA sinkhole while looking for her cat, saying a crumbling old coal mine was complicating efforts and endangering workers. Crews worked through the night to find Elizabeth Pollard.

9:54 AM · Dec 4, 2024

 

[TheMom77]

What a crazy thing to happen. I hope that she is somehow able to be rescued. Their efforts to find her are amazing!

 

[LilProbingProblem]

The livestream is available on youtube; however it appears it is currently in replay of last night's efforts.

 

[sds71]

Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha says they’re not sending rescuers into mine anymore due to deteriorating condition - unstable, evidence roof collapsed in places Using cameras, digging is continuingStill optimistic they’ll find Elizabeth Pollard alive

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864358003236872475

 

[Wishbone]

Rescuers reassess safety of search for woman they believe fell into sinkhole above old coal mine

Rescuers are contemplating the safest way to search for a woman who apparently fell into a sinkhole while looking for her lost cat above an old coal mine in Pennsylvania.

abc7ny.com

 

[arielilane]

Posted one hour ago

Press conference underway

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864354463747584023

Tpr Greenfield — still hopeful Elizabeth Pollard is found. Says efforts are ongoing. They’ve had more than 100 crews working Rumors of Pollard being found are false


Chief Bacha with Pleasant Unity VFD: We are still working on some cameras, electronic devices and K9s to locate Ms. Pollard


They are no longer able to send crews down into the mine… hit that at 3 am. Now just cameras. Still digging “Extremely labor intensive operation.”


Digging started by hand, then things changed when they hit an oxygen deficient atmosphere. Then every crew needed oxygen gear as they dug deeper“We’re moving forward but not sending rescuers into the mines. Very unstable.”


Bacha says the roof of the mine has collapsed in several places. It’s unstable They had a vacuum truck to remove a lot of dirt to excavate. They’ve gone to the spot they thought she was but there are no signs. “Maybe a slurry of mud moved her”


Bacha says they’ve blown fresh oxygen in, but said that could actually pull methane in to a coal mine. There are no explosive gases in the area, however.


Bacha says the shoe that was found on a camera yesterday was never recovered No other articles found.


Time is of the essence. They’re still optimistic
Says despite no longer sending crews down, the search is still going on and will continually be evaluated.

 

[Cagle]

Granted, I know little about mines, but I would have thought with a 30 ft fall she would've been too injured to move. Particularly with aging bones. Also, it doesn't sound good if they're not sending crews down due to oxygen needs.

 

[arielilane]

@Andrew_Havranek

UPDATE: We will hear from @PSPTroopAPIO on the search for Elizabeth Pollard at 5 pm. The plan is to give an update on how crews will continue their search. I’ll have the latest starting at 4 on @WPXI

 

[arielilane]

@Andrew_Havranek


ROUGH SKETCH: This is a rough sketch of a map of the abandoned mine where crews believe Elizabeth Pollard fell into a sinkhole. It shows the hole where she fell, and then where roof has collapsed and blocked parts of the mine

This rough sketch is based on the actual mine maps from the 1940s and has helped crews There are multiple layers of the mine underground @WPXI

The center of the sketch shows the hole where Pollard fell in, and then different paths that are blocked by collapse or ones that are open.

 

[arielilane]

@KaleaGunderson

State Police shared a simplified sketch of the 1940’s mine map where the sink hole was found. The dot in the center is where police believe Pollard fell through. The path labeled “open” is roughly 35 feet underground but isn’t safely accessible.

The search for 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard remains active in Unity Township. State Police: Search and rescue crews can no longer go underground. It’s unsafe. Technology/cameras still being used to try to find her. Sinkhole discovered around 3AM Monday. Update @ 5 on @WTAE.