Workers recovered body of trapped US miner
By KEITH RIDLER, Associated Press
Apr 24, 2011 9:38 PM CDT
Workers recovered body of trapped US miner
A Lucky Friday miner is positioned at the front entrance of the mine in Mullan, Idaho on Monday, April 18, 2011. He was keeping out the general public while crews worked to free trapped miner Larry Marek. (AP Photo/The Spokesman-Review, Kathy Plonka)   (Associated Press)

The operator of a northern Idaho silver mine says workers have recovered the body of a miner who was trapped when a tunnel collapsed nine days ago.

Hecla Mining Co. says the body of 53-year-old Larry Marek was discovered Sunday afternoon.

Marek and his brother, Mike, had just finished watering down blasted-out rock and ore in the mine when the ceiling collapsed in a 6,150-foot (1,875-meter) deep tunnel April 15. Mike Marek escaped unharmed.

Crews labored around the clock to dig through the collapsed debris and build a second intersecting tunnel to reach Marek, but by Sunday officials had determined he could not have survived.

No cause has been established for the cave-in.

See 1 more photo