Rescue efforts continued Monday at the Lucky Friday Mine as two teams worked around the clock to recover a trapped miner.

Larry Marek, 53, was caught by a localized ground fall on the 6,150 level at 5:30 Friday evening, and there has been no communication with him since the incident.

A chartered plane delivered specialized remote mucking equipment to the Lucky Friday from the East Coast to aid rescue efforts without putting the rescue team in unnecessary danger.

In addition, a diamond drill is being used at a location 185 feet north on the same level as Marek's stope to ascertain whether there is open space and air behind the rockfall, and to possibly open a line of communication through the two-inch diameter hole, according to Hecla representative Stafany Bales.

"We'll continue to do everything we can for as long as it takes," said Phil Baker, CEO of Hecla Mining Co.

It was not certain how far rescuers had to go to reach Marek's last location. In a Monday press release, Hecla confirmed it cleared 36 feet of timbered (reinforced) tunnel. Eight-foot timbers were being used to shore up the stope as the rescue team slowly advanced.

Rescue workers who wished to remain anonymous said that the remote mucker, a front-end loader used for clearing debris underground, malfunctioned sometime Monday.

The workers said another remote mucker was brought in from Stillwater, some eight hours from Mullan, as well as a team of four workers to assemble and operate it.

Hecla confirmed there are two muckers employed in the rescue effort. A 2-yard remote mucker was brought underground to the 5,900 level last night, in addition to a 3.5-yard mucker that will require an additional electronic component in order to operate remotely and is expected to be up and running by today.

"We have one of the most experienced and well-trained safety teams in the country, if not the continent," said Bales.

Marek and his brother, another mine worker, had just finished watering down blasted-out rock and ore on existing mining areas when the collapse occurred about 75 feet from the end of the 6,150-foot deep tunnel, according to the company. Marek became trapped but his brother escaped.

Officials say it's unclear if the entire 75-foot section collapsed, or only a portion of it, possibly leaving the miner trapped on the other side.

Hecla said all mining activity has been halted for the rescue effort. Officials said they will focus on how the collapse occurred once the rescue is complete.

The mine employs roughly 275 workers, about 50 of whom were underground in various parts of the mine when the collapse occurred, company spokeswoman Melanie Hennessey said.

Ted Nickelby, a former mine rescue worker who was present during the Sunshine Mine disaster, said mine rescuers face a difficult task.

"The visibility is nothing, and down there one breath of bad air - that's it for you," he said.

Nickelby explained that a five-man rescue crew is backed up by an additional team of five workers. "They always watch each other's backs," he explained. "Team safety is the main concern."

"If anybody could get in there and get this guy out, it's the team out at the Lucky."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.