Carlos Payan
Two people who know Payan, who is in his early 20s, said he has not worked long at the mine and planned to return soon to Mexico. A sister lives in Huntington, Utah, and their parents traveled from Mexico after the cave-in.
“He wasn’t out a lot. He just worked and worked and worked,” said family friend Iliana Sebreros, 13.
Don Erickson
He loves to hunt and camp, said neighbor Linda Marelli of Helper, Utah, who believes he has worked at the mine for about four years.
“We’ve just been praying that they can find him alive,” she said.
A friend, Rick Collins, said camping with Erickson and his wife, Nelda, means waking up to a hearty breakfast with the couple tending the skillet.
Kerry Allred
In his late 50s, Allred drives coal to a conveyor belt to get it out of the mine.
Former miner Bill Tucker describes Allred as a “bullheaded” guy who plays guitars and sings; George Jones is a favorite.
“He’s a tough kid. … If something were in the road, he’d move it,” Tucker said.
Manuel Sanchez
In his early 40s, Sanchez has been a miner for 15 years, said sister Maria Buenrostro. She and other family members expressed frustration this week with the flow of information from mine officials.
Brandon Phillips
Marcey Wilson said her husband, who works at the mine, trained Phillips three weeks ago.
“He was a sweet, sweet guy,” Wilson said.
