Miners Missing at Barrick's (NYSE:ABX) Meikle Mine - Feared Dead

Mining giant Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX) has two miners missing at their Meikle mine in Nevada, and they are now feared to be dead in an accident on Thursday.

The mine isn't a stranger to tragedy, as three other workers have died at the project over the last 11 years, each one in separate accidents, according to U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration records.

A subsidiary of Barrick Gold, Barrick Goldstrike Mines, operates the Meikle mine on behalf of the company.

There wasn't a lot of hope for finding the miners alive, as Greg Lang, president of Barrick's North America Region said, "While we don't have all of the facts at this point, what we do know about the incident is not encouraging."

The missing workers were in the midst of being lowered into a ventilation shaft when the hoist operator said he noticed a "large surge of pressure on the hoist drum," and the mined was immediately evacuated.

Several rescue workers were sent in to search for the workers and investigate the accident, to no avail so far.