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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
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Location: United States of America
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 Tue Jan 03, 2006 9:44 pm Body discovered in West Virginia mine |
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| Quote: | Rescue effort continues despite high carbon monoxide levels, no sign of life
Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 9:32 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2006
TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. - Rescue crews found one body late Tuesday in a West Virginia mine were 13 miners were trapped after an explosion, a mine company executive said.
John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves is among the trapped miners, said Gov. Joe Manchin had announced to family members that rescuers found one body in a mine car.
Red Cross volunteer Tamila Swiger, who was inside the Sago Baptist Church, said family members were hyperventilating at the news.
The body was not identified. There was no immediate word about the fate of the other 12 miners.
Even as hope dwindled, one top official noted that the portal bus, the vehicle the trapped miners used, was found by rescuers intact. �It is a good thing that the portal bus wasn�t devastated,� said Ben Hatfield, chief executive of International Coal Group Inc. of Ashland, Ky., the mine owner.
�The crew appears to have exited under their own power,� Hatfield said. �This raises a question of where they would have gone.�
Hatfield said the body was discovered about 700 feet from where the portal bus was located.
The grim discovery came after rescuers pushed deeper into a mine shaft in a desperate search for the trapped miners. The prospects of finding anyone alive appeared bleak after holes drilled into the ground yielded deadly levels of carbon monoxide and no signs of life.
�It�s a nightmare, the worst news that we can possibly deliver to families waiting for good news,� Hatfield said. �Our hearts and prayers at this point are with the families.�
�The odds are against us�
By early evening, Hatfield said, rescuers were three to five hours from reaching the spot where the miners were thought to be, and some relatives said they were beginning to give up hope.
John Groves, 43, of Cleveland, W.Va., brother of trapped miner Jerry Groves, 57, said relatives were thinking the worst after Gov. Joe Manchin spoke with families Tuesday evening.
�He said the odds are against us. It�s not hopeful,� Groves said as he fought back tears. �I think everybody knows, based on what they told us, what we are looking at.�
Hatfield also sounded less optimistic.
�We are clearly in the situation where we need a miracle,� he said. �But miracles happen.�
The men, trapped 260 feet down by an explosion Monday morning in the Sago Mine, were believed to be about 12,000 feet past the opening of the shaft. By early evening, about 35 hours after the blast, rescue teams had penetrated 11,400 feet, working their way on foot for fear machinery might cause volatile gases to explode.
Families of the miners were told by the company that it appeared it was a powerful explosion, based on the amount of damage near where the miners may be trapped, said Rick McGee, who works at the mine with his brother-in-law, Randal McCloy, who is among those trapped.
Cinderblock walls meant to direct the flow of air inside the mine were knocked down in the vicinity, McGee said families were told.
'Still a chance'
Given the new information, McGee said, �There�s a chance, not a great chance, but there is still a chance� that the miners could still be alive if they were able to barricade themselves.
Earlier in the day, rescuers drilled narrow holes into the mine, inserted air monitors and found levels of carbon monoxide more than three times the maximum regarded as safe. Carbon monoxide, a byproduct of combustion, can be lethal.
Hatfield said it was possible the miners barricaded themselves somewhere and were still alive. But he said: �We are very discouraged by the results of this test.�
Also, a camera lowered down a 6-inch hole spotted no sign of the miners, and drilling crews pounded on a steel pipe and listened for a response but heard nothing, Hatfield said.
President Bush said the nation was praying for the men, and he offered federal help to bring them out alive. �May God bless those who are trapped below the earth,� he said.
Family members losing heart
Upon hearing the discouraging news, many family members retreated to the nearby Sago Baptist Church. Hundreds had spent the night huddled in tents or wrapped in blankets in the cool, damp air.
�Obviously, it was devastating,� said Nick Helms, whose 50-year-old father, Terry, was among the missing. �I just want to see him again.�
At first, rescue crews moved slowly through the shaft, because they had to stabilize it and repair the roof as they went along. But on Tuesday, officials said, the rescuers realized they had no time to waste and abandoned that approach.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration had rescue and safety specialists on the scene, set up a command center and brought in a robot capable of exploring areas too dangerous for humans. But the robot was abandoned after it became bogged down in the mud.
Manchin urged West Virginians to �believe in miracles.�
�It�s going to take a miracle, I think,� he said.
The cause of the explosion about 100 miles northeast of Charleston was under investigation. Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas.
Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said earlier that it may have been sparked by lightning.
The Associated Press and MSNBC.com's Michael E. Ross contributed to this report.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
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| Tue Jan 03, 2006 9:49 pm |
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It doesn't look so good...I've been following this story. That's sad. I hope something good comes out of this.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:10 am |
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All the other twelve have been found alive! 
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:13 am |
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Whoo hooo! That's great!
It's bad that the one is dead, but this is great! It's a miracle!
My guess is that they'll be a movie about this in a few years...
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:08 am |
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Turns out that was incorrect
| Quote: | | CNN - Despite earlier reports, family members in West Virginia now say only one trapped miner brought out alive. All 12 others dead. |
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Birdy
Socialist
Joined: 20 Sep 2004
Posts: 13502
Location: Here.
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:50 am |
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| Quote: | Grief, anger as all but one miner found dead
Initial reports indicated 12 had survived
Wednesday, January 4, 2006; Posted: 5:36 a.m. EST (10:36 GMT)
TALLMANSVILLE, West Virginia (CNN) -- Grief and anger replaced jubilation early Wednesday as mine officials announced that, despite earlier reports, only one of 13 trapped miners had survived a West Virginia mining accident.
Late Tuesday, word spread among family members that 12 miners had been found alive at the Sago Mine. Celebrations erupted as church bells rang out.
Hours later, however, some miners' loved ones -- some angry, others silently dejected -- began leaving the community church that had been their sanctuary since the ordeal began Monday morning.
What they had to say was unbelievable in light of the earlier news of a "miracle" in the mine.
The few who would talk to the gathered media said mining officials had told them only one of the miners had survived.
Mining company officials then confirmed it at a news conference.
Ben Hatfield, the CEO of International Coal Group, which owns the Sago Mine, called it the "worst day of my life."
Hatfield said "miscommunication" between rescue crews and the command center had caused the earlier erroneous reports that 12 miners had survived. (Watch the CEO's grim announcement -- 9:00)
In all, 12 miners died, including a man whose body was found closer to the mine entrance Tuesday evening. The sole survivor, Randall McCloy Jr., was in critical condition and being transported Wednesday to West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown after being stabilized at nearby St. Joseph's Hospital.
"This is certainly not the outcome that we had hoped for and prayed for," said Hatfield. "There was a great deal of confusion between the rescue teams ... the information got misinterpreted or miscommunicated."
The information, relayed at a briefing with friends and relatives, dashed their hopes of being reunited shortly with the missing miners. Angry and emotional, some of those who attended the briefing at Sago Baptist Church refused to comment. Many were among those who erupted in cheers amid the ringing of church bells three hours earlier after hearing the miners were alive.
"They're liars, they're all liars," one woman yelled at CNN's Anderson Cooper and Randi Kaye.
"They told us they didn't have good news," said one man who was at the briefing. "Everybody is stunned and sick to our stomachs. We feel like we've been lied to, we've been lied to all along ... This is probably the most horrible thing that's ever happened to me in my lifetime." (Watch the relative describe his shock and disbelief -- 4:15)
Miners were alive after accident
Hatfield said it was apparent that the miners, who were found some 13,000 feet underground, remained alive for a period of time following the explosion. They had built a "rough barricade structure," he said, and had donned their self-contained breathing apparatuses. The apparatuses held one hour of oxygen; Hatfield said he had no way of knowing how long the miners were alive.
The rescue team that found the miners was speaking to the command center over mine communication system on an open speaker audible to a number of people, Hatfield said. He noted the company made no formal announcement that the 12 were alive, but said he would not single out any rescuers, as they were trying to save the miners' lives.
"The honest answer is, we were devastated," he said. "It's sorrow beyond belief ... Welcome to the worst day of my life."
Hatfield said he knew within 20 minutes that an error had been made and that not all 12 were alive, but said he did not inform jubilant family members.
"We couldn't correct the information without knowing more about it," he told reporters. "Let's put this in perspective -- who do we tell not to celebrate? All I knew is, there weren't 12 people that were alive. It was somewhere between 12 and zero."
Hatfield said he understood family members' anger.
"I'm not surprised or upset with them. They certainly have some basis for their frustration, having been put through this emotional roller-coaster. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
Anna Casto, whose cousin was among those found dead, said Hatfield had first told relatives the miners were alive and that there were plans to rescue them and bring them back to their families.
Families were told nothing for three hours, she said, until they received the reports that all but one had perished.
"We want to know why, and how people can get by with this," Casto said. "I just want the immediate family to get some kind of satisfaction, some kind of answers ... We had our hopes built up. You just don't do that to people. You don't do it." (Watch the relative angrily demand answers -- 3:21)
'Some wrong communications'
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin -- who flashed a thumbs-up on the steps of the church and said, "believe in miracles," after hearing the initial report that the 12 were alive -- called the situation "heart-wrenching."
He said he was in another room of the church with some family members when "we heard families in a euphoric state, and all the shouting and screaming and joyfulness." He asked what was happening, he said, and was told, "They found them. They're alive."
Manchin said he asked his communications people if they had confirmed that information, and they said no. But he was caught in the sea of jubilant relatives streaming out of the church, and the church bells began ringing, he said. "(I was) in a euphoric state, the same as they are."
It was about 20 minutes later, he said, when he also became aware of "some wrong communications." The delay in informing relatives, he said, came because officials were trying to get accurate information instead of adding to the confusion. He said he understood the family's pain, as his own uncle died in a 1968 mine accident.
"To put blame on anybody -- it's the wrong time, the wrong place," Manchin said. "Everybody has worked so hard. The rescue teams have worked around the clock. They've come from all over the country."
McCloy, 27, was "critically ill," according to Dr. Susan Long, who treated him upon arrival at St. Joseph's. Test results did not show the presence of carbon monoxide in his blood, she said, and he had no visible injuries.
Long told CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta she believed the miner was in shock, dehydrated and hypothermic. Hospital staffers warmed him up and gave him liquids, and his vital signs improved quickly, she said.
The U.S. Department of Labor, in a statement, confirmed that 12 miners had died and one survived, noting, "This is the first federal confirmation of those numbers. At no time were we contacted to confirm numbers, and as to earlier reports, we have no knowledge as to how those numbers were reported." |
SOURCE
This is so sad 
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Otter
Fleet Admiral
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Location: England
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 6:13 am |
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indeed, a good result to a bad thing!
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Brightstar82
Rear Admiral
Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 4394
Location: A Borg Cube....Where Else?
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 9:48 am |
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 thats sad
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:12 pm |
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Their families are in my prayers. So sad.
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:36 pm |
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The really sad thing is that mine safety has come a long way since 1900, and most if not all mine disasters (since 1970 or so) are the result of negligence on the part of the mine owners.
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oberon
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 106
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:42 pm |
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| webtaz99 wrote: | | The really sad thing is that mine safety has come a long way since 1900, and most if not all mine disasters (since 1970 or so) are the result of negligence on the part of the mine owners. |
It really is. Greed should never trump the value of a life. In my area, there was a massive collapse of a salt mine a few years previous that was caused by over-mining without providing the ground with sufficient supports. Noone was killed, but this sort of thing can obviously be prevented (though mining, especially coal mining, is extremely dangerous in itself). Those poor people..
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Jeff Miller
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Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:19 pm |
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Minning is a dangerous business.
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Leo Wyatt
Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Posts: 19045
Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 5:26 pm |
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Sad but, most every job is dangerous.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 6:58 pm |
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At least the one man survived, but that's very sad...
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TrekkieMage
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 10:57 pm |
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I think the person I pity the most is the one that is alive. The guilt that poor man must feel...I am keeping all of those involved in my thoughts.
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borgslayer
Rear Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2003
Posts: 2646
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| Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:48 pm |
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This is flat out terrible.
To hear this made me sad...
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
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| Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:05 am |
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What's especially sad is that there was such a mix-up, and for 3 hours the families were jumping for joy in celebration at the "knowledge" that 12 of the miners survived.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Jeff Miller
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Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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| Thu Jan 05, 2006 12:26 am |
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| TrekkieMage wrote: | | I think the person I pity the most is the one that is alive. The guilt that poor man must feel...I am keeping all of those involved in my thoughts. |
He shouldn't feel pity he should be at peace, he was the strongest only the strong survive. He went through all that and he lived. That should say something.
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Otter
Fleet Admiral
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| Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:08 am |
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| Otter wrote: | | indeed, a good result to a bad thing! |
mixed info again, Sorry how bad!
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TrekkieMage
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| Fri Jan 06, 2006 8:04 pm |
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| Jeff Miller wrote: | | TrekkieMage wrote: | | I think the person I pity the most is the one that is alive. The guilt that poor man must feel...I am keeping all of those involved in my thoughts. |
He shouldn't feel pity he should be at peace, he was the strongest only the strong survive. He went through all that and he lived. That should say something. |
Survivors guilt. He probably knew all of those men very well - especially in those last hours. That and when he finds out about the mix up...I just hope he doesn't find out anytime soon and that he gets a chance to try and cope with events.
As for the mix up, that was just cruel. The person who first heard that must feel miserable for spreading it.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
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| Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:41 pm |
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Have any of you seen and/or heard the notes the men left? One of them said that it wasn't bad, it was just like going to sleep. They showed one of Fox News today, was pretty sad.
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Birdy
Socialist
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| Sat Jan 07, 2006 5:31 am |
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| Theresa wrote: | | Have any of you seen and/or heard the notes the men left? One of them said that it wasn't bad, it was just like going to sleep. They showed one of Fox News today, was pretty sad. |
Really?  No, haven't seen it, I just have CNN, did they show it there too?
Omg, that's so sad!
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TrekkieMage
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| Sun Jan 08, 2006 5:59 pm |
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I read about it in the paper, they weren't too detailed about it. They were alive for 10 hours...The first rescue workers went in after 11 hours.
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
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| Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:33 pm |
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They're also saying that they weren't too far from a pocket of fresh air.
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And some have to live with our scars
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TrekkieMage
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| Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:46 pm |
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Thats just...I can't even formulate words for that. This is just horrible. Every time I hear something it just gets worse.
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