WPBN: According to officials, a Pennsylvania grandma who vanished while searching for her cat is thought to have fallen into a deep pit.
According to Pennsylvania State Police on Tuesday, Elizabeth Pollard is presently the subject of a search and rescue operation in Unity Township. According to officials, the sinkhole is thought to be connected to a closed coal mine.
Trooper Steve Limani informed reporters at the scene Tuesday night that although search teams had gained access to the mine area, they had not yet found any evidence of Pollard. According to him, the search is anticipated to go on into the night.
Limani remarked, “Hopefully she’s in an air pocket,” adding that similar circumstances had been survived in underground mines in the area. “This is a rescue to me until something says that it’s not.”
To continue the endeavor, rescue crews from other places have teamed up and switched shifts. Crews have made headway into the subterranean space, and oxygen tanks are regularly transported to replenish the mine shaft.
Rescuers are resolute despite the challenging circumstances, which include clay-like dirt that makes excavation challenging. “We’re doing everything we can, and no one is giving up,” added Liman.
He continued, “It’s heartbreaking for her family and everyone here. But we’re not stopping. We’re all hoping for a miracle.”
At an earlier press conference Tuesday, Limani stated that Pollard was reported missing by a family member just before 1 a.m.
According to Limani, Pollard was last seen on Monday at approximately 5:00 p.m. According to the family member, Pollard has not been contacted since he went out on Monday afternoon to search for her cat.
Just before three in the morning on Tuesday, Pollard’s car was found with her five-year-old granddaughter inside, but Pollard was not there, according to the police.
“At that point in time we realized this could be a very bad situation,” Limani stated.
About 15 to 20 feet from the car, officers discovered what seemed to be a sinkhole with an entrance the “size of a manhole” while looking for Pollard in the area, according to Limani.
It is currently being considered a rescue mission, according to police, and emergency personnel were called to the area. In order to get access to the sinkhole, an excavation team is collaborating with the state’s Bureau of Mine Safety, local firemen, and a technical rescue team, according to Limani.
Pollard is in the sinkhole, according to the evidence available, said Limani.
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“We don’t feel a reason that we should be looking elsewhere,” he stated.
According to Limani, there is no proof that the sinkhole existed prior to her beginning her search for her cat, and it seemed to have been formed while Pollard was out and about.
At the previous news meeting, Marguerite Fire Chief Scot Graham informed reporters that a camera placed into the sinkhole’s entry revealed a “big void, and it was all different depths.”
According to Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha, authorities did see a “modern-type” shoe in the sinkhole, but a camera did not record any sounds.
According to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, the mine ceased operations in 1952. According to a department official, the coal seam in this region is about 20 feet deep.
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The government will examine the location “to determine if this issue is the result of historic mine subsidence,” the spokeswoman stated, after the scene has been cleared.
Despite the freezing conditions last night, Pollard’s granddaughter is safe and with her parents at the moment, according to Limani. The family is hoping for “good news,” he stated, and is requesting privacy at this time.
“We need to get a little bit lucky,” Limani stated. “We’re going to do everything we can.”
