Chances to find US woman feared swallowed by sinkhole minimal, say rescuers

The search for a woman who is believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in western Pennsylvania has become a recovery effort after two treacherous days of digging through mud and rock produced no signs of life, authorities said Wednesday. Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani said during a news conference that authorities no longer believe they will find Pollard alive, but that work to find her remains continues. "We’ve had no signs of any form of life or anything" to make rescuers think they should "continue to try and push and rush and push the envelope, to be aggressive with the potential of risking harm to other people," Limani said. Geological engineer Paul Santi said the chances of Pollard surviving if she slipped into the sinkhole were "pretty small". Police said they found Pollard’s car parked behind Monday’s Union Restaurant in Marguerite, about 20 feet from the sinkhole.