Fed agency to be looked at in mine probe

HUNTINGTON, Utah, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. officials will be investigating their own actions as part of a probe into the Utah mine collapse in which six miners remain missing.

U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao announced that an independent team would look into the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the way it responded after the Aug. 6 incident at the Crandall Canyon Mine. Three rescuers were killed 10 days later when a second cave-in occurred.

The inquiry into the MSHA will be led by two retired agency officials who have solid reputations, the Salt Lake Tribune said Friday.

At the same, the Tribune said, U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said the line-up was not as independent as he would like to see. Miller is chairman of the House Labor Committee, which has oversight over the MSHA and will be the scene of a hearing into the disaster next week.