The major rescue operation to find a Pennsylvania grandmother who fell down a massive sinkhole while searching for her cat may have to be abandoned, police said.
Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was reported missing by concerned family members around 1 a.m. Tuesday, who believe she disappeared while looking for her cat, Pepper, in Unity Township, Westmoreland County.
Officers found her car parked behind Monday’s Union restaurant with her five-year-old granddaughter still inside just over an hour after the alarm sounded.
A sinkhole was then located just meters away, prompting more than 100 people to search for Pollard inside the abandoned mine.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani said the sinkhole has become dangerous and could potentially cause the ground to shift, leading to another mine collapse.
Limani added that the water that engineers and experts have been using to help clear the mine’s land is also causing more damage.
“We have to be very careful with the water problems we have been experiencing,” he said, adding that experts said the mine was already in poor condition before the horrific accident.
Despite the deterioration of the mine and the “grim” circumstances, Limani made it clear that they are still hopeful of finding Grandma and still consider it a rescue mission.
A rescue mission has been launched for Elizabeth Pollard, 64, who fell into a massive sinkhole in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
Her family reported her missing around 1 a.m. when officers found her car parked behind Monday’s Union restaurant with her five-year-old granddaughter still inside just over an hour after the alarm went off. (Pictured: The sinkhole)
“Until they tell me it can’t happen, I don’t believe in it,” Limani said.
‘It may seem bleak, but deep down in my heart, we are moving forward to try to find her, but mine is very insecure.
‘Let’s continue. We are not going to stop. “We might have to shift gears, so it might be a little slower than people might think,” he added.
Pollard’s young granddaughter was unharmed and is now back with her parents, despite being left in near-freezing temperatures for nearly 12 hours.
“She was just a five-year-old girl who was waiting in the car for her grandmother to come back,” Limani said.
The sinkhole is similar to the size of a sewer on the surface, but becomes much wider underground, posing greater challenges to search efforts.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania State Trooper Steve Limani (pictured) said the sinkhole has become dangerous and could cause the ground to shift, leading to another mine collapse.
But the area is dotted with old coal mines, leading the soldiers to believe that they weren’t there before she started looking for Pepper and were probably created while she was walking.
Officers noted that she may have disappeared at 5 p.m., the last time customers saw her at the restaurant while searching for Pepper.
A first look at the hole involved using a ladder and harness, but there was no sign of Pollard.
“You couldn’t even get close enough to the hole because of the way it was undermined,” John Bacha, chief of the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company, told CNN.
The massive search that followed used cameras and listening devices dropped into the hole, as well as more than 100 people working together at any given time to search for the missing grandmother.
But the resources and technology used in the search captured no sounds or images of Pollard, except for a camera that captured what appeared to be a shoe.
Rescuers are seen working to find Pollard through the night. They used cameras and listening devices that were thrown into the hole.
Her son Axel Hayes said he is worried but also hopeful that first responders will find his mother alive.
“Let’s say it’s a modern shoe, not something you would find in a coal mine in Marguerite in 1940,” Bacha added.
Ligonier Construction is now working alongside officials and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mines to evacuate and excavate the sinkhole. So far there has been no communication with Pollard.
For now, Limani said experts plan to continue digging and adding supports so the mine remains as intact as possible.
Bacha said the crew is optimistic as underground oxygen levels have been “perfect,” with no signs of explosive gases or carbon monoxide in the area.
The temperature inside the mine is warmer than the atmosphere outside, officials said, adding that it was estimated to have reached 50 degrees on Tuesday afternoon.
Limani said the grandmother’s family is “going through a difficult situation” as the search for Pollard continues.
Her son Axel Hayes said he is worried but also hopeful that first responders will find his mother alive. CBS News reported.