Rescue ends for man in abandoned Nevada mine shaft

RENO, Nev. – The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says a rescue has been called off for a 28-year-old man who fell in an abandoned mine shaft in northern Nevada.

BLM spokeswoman JoLynn Worley says the Battle Mountain man fell Wednesday afternoon in the shaft in Jersey Valley, about 160 miles northeast of Reno. His name wasn't immediately released.

Worley says rescuers tried to reach the man, who's about 190 feet below ground.

But she says the rescue was halted Friday because of the hazardous, dangerous conditions it posed to rescuers. She says the mine is so unstable that walls crumbled and rocks hit rescuers on the head when they tried to reach the man.

A video camera showed the man was still breathing early Friday, even though he has suffered serious head injuries.