Officials of a central Utah coal mine said Sunday that the six miners trapped underground since a cave-in nearly two weeks ago were likely dead, as families of the miners expressed their frustration with the rescue efforts.

"It's likely that these men will not be found," said Rob Moore, vice president of Murray Energy Corp., co-owner of the Crandall Canyon mine, at a news conference.

According to a website report by the Salt Lake Tribune daily, video from the latest bore hole drilled from the top of the mine into caverns below showed extensive damage to that area of the mine, and oxygen levels measured at 7 or 8 percent -- not enough to support life.

Digging was suspended after three rescue workers were killed in a second cave-in Thursday night, and officials said it was unlikely it would resume.

Meanwhile, the families of the six trapped miners on Sunday issued their first public statement since August 6, when the miners were caught in the mine collapse that was earlier registered by seismic instruments as an earthquake, expressing their frustration with failed rescue efforts.

The statement said officials' refusal to drill a large hole and use a rescue capsule from the beginning to bring up the miners has endangered the trapped ones as well as rescue teams trying to clear debris from the collapsed mine.

The statement was issued after discouraging words from company and government officials about the fate of the trapped miners.

The families said in the statement that they had not given up hope that their loved ones were still alive and awaiting rescue.

But mine officials said drilling a large bore hole and inserting rescuers were not a practical option.

Moore said drillers do not know where to position the hole, there does not appear to be a livable environment in the mine and the mine continues to undergo movements or "bumps" like the one which killed three rescuers Thursday.

"We would be risking additional lives without knowing if we have live miners," Moore reportedly said.  

Editor: Yan