HUNTINGTON, Utah – Despite three weeks of drilling and digging that have revealed no signs of life from six men trapped inside a collapsed coal mine, an attorney for families of the miners said today the search will continue.

Colin King, a lawyer for the families, said federal and company officials told him and the miners’ relatives that a robotic camera would be lowered into a hole drilled during previous efforts to find the men.

The camera, similar to one used at the World Trade Center in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, can take images from about 50 yards away.

The announcement came a day after crews pierced the mine shaft with a sixth borehole to find a debris-filled area too small for the men to survive, according to King and the Web site of the federal mine safety agency.

Federal and company officials said an afternoon news conference today was planned on those results.

Mr. King said a mine company lawyer also told families that a seventh borehole was being considered. That one might be drilled into the kitchen area of the mine, an area where miners are trained to flee in case of collapse.