The damaged grain elevator

In this story:

• Debris, 'quicksand' grain slows search
• Explanation of grain dust danger
• Related stories and sites

HAYSVILLE, Kansas (CNN) -- Two more bodies have been recovered from the tunnel of an exploded grain elevator, bringing the death toll in the blast to four, authorities said on Wednesday.

Rescuers were proceeding cautiously through wreckage and shifting wheat in the 800-foot tunnel in their effort to reach two other workers who remain missing after Monday's grain dust blast in southern Kansas.

CNN's Tony Clark describes the effort involved in trying to get to the victims
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Air pockets found during the search gave hope that the men could still be alive.

"We remain optimistic that two others trapped in the tunnel may be found alive," said Sedgwick County Fire Chief Ken Cox. ( 194K/18 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

No signs of life have been detected since a few "thudding noises" heard early Tuesday morning.

Eleven other people were injured in the explosion, three of them critically. The tunnel was being cleaned when the explosion occurred.

Rescuers remove grain from the elevator

The grain dust explosion at the huge DeBruce Grain complex south of Wichita on Monday shook homes up to 10 miles away and knocked holes the size of houses in the facility's central control structure.

Paul DeBruce, president of DeBruce Grain, which is based in North Kansas City, Missouri, said on Tuesday that the cause of explosion had not been determined.

Debris, 'quicksand' grain slows search

Cox said that five to six tons of steel girders and concrete had slowed the search but had increased hopes that the two missing workers may have been able to find shelter in the tunnel.

The search was temporarily halted at daybreak as a crane was brought into position to remove the debris in what will be a dangerous maneuver.

Sedgwick County coroner Dr. Corrie May said a body was found in the tunnel Wednesday morning. In addition, she said that human remains found on Tuesday confirmed that the second of the four missing workers was dead.

More than 100 rescue workers were at the scene, including veterans of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. They were using back-breaking labor and high-tech equipment -- like heat-seeking infrared cameras -- to reach the missing men.

The rescue workers entered the four intact underground tunnels filled mostly with conveyor equipment; there was not much room to work. Twisted steel reinforcement rods, fallen steel doors of silos and car-size pieces of concrete further hampered rescue efforts.

Using jacks and plywood, they worked to shore up the ceilings to stop the flow of grain, some of it still smoldering. In some areas, rescuers had to be pulled out because of the danger.

"The grain does move on you. It is like quicksand," said Cox.

President Clinton declared a state of emergency for Sedgwick County, authorizing federal officials to send in rescue crews.

Correspondent Tony Clark and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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