Efforts to rescue three Lily Mine workers stepped up

Lily Mine's Mike Begg says they have been working 24-hour shifts carefully digging and drilling to try and reach the workers who he says have now run out of food and water. 

He says communication from the container yesterday was strong.

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"...A double tap from us a double tap from them, a triple tap from us a triple tap from them so there was definitely somebody in the container registering our signal," he said.

The group was in a shipping container that was buried when part of the mine caved in on Friday morning. 

Begg says it's a race against time now.

"The last signal we got was very weak and inconclusive because what's happening around the container is material is moving so when material is moving you can't hear so the last signal we had was inconclusive," he said.

(File photo: Gallo Images)