Praying for a Miner Miracle
Tuesday January 3, 2006
Rescue operations continue in the hopes of finding 13 miners, trapped about 260 feet below the surface of a mine in central West Virginia, near Tallmansville, Upshur County. An explosion in the Sago mine early Monday morning trapped the miners, and there has been no contact with them since. People across the country are remembering the similar July 2002 rescue of nine miners trapped for 72 hours in the flooded Quecreek mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and hoping for a similar miraculous rescue.
Update: 3:00am Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Family members were just briefed by W.V. Governor Manchin that the earlier news of the rescued miners was a tragic miscommunication. Twelve miners were pulled out of the mine deceased, and the sole surviving miner, Randall L. McCloy Jr., is in critical condition on a ventilator in a Morgantown, WV hospital.
Update: 11:45pm Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Family members are reporting that the remaining 12 trapped miners have all been found alive! After the sobering afternoon news that the body of a miner had been found, the news that the remaining twelve trapped miners have been found alive is being applauded as a miracle reminiscent of the Quecreek Mine rescue of 2002. After nearly 40 hours with no contact, this was welcome news indeed to the family members and friends on scene, who refused to give up hope throughout the whole ordeal.
Update: 8:00pm Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Mine officials are reporting that rescue crews have found the body of one of the trapped miners about 11,250 feet from the main entrance. No other miners were found in the area. The vehicle used by the miners was found, undamaged, about 700 feet beyond the body, and it appears that the remaining 12 miners left the vehicle under their own power. One small glimmer of hope amid the grim news of the miner's death. The miner was not identified, and the cause of his death is unclear.
Update: 1:00pm Tuesday, January 3, 2006
A mining company executive says rescue workers today are drilling two additional holes to test for air quality and listen for sounds from the 13 trapped miners. Rescue workers making their way into the mine on foot have advanced past the 10,000 foot mark - the miners are believed to be trapped somewhere between 11,000 and 13,000 feet down the tunnel.
Update: 8:00am Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Carbon monoxide in the area where the miners are believed to be trapped is being reported as more than three times the lethal level according to mine officials. A camera dropped into the hole shows few signs of damage from the explosion and no signs of life. The hope is that these miners have somehow managed to barricade themselves in an area containing good air and rescue operations continue.
Rescue crews have successfully drilled a hole more than 9,000 feet horizontally into the two-mile long tunnel and have reached a point close to the area where they believe the trapped miners are located. Rescue efforts have been hampered by high gas concentrations outside the mine, and a mine rescue robot will be sent ahead to test the air quality before rescue crews are allowed in.
The explosion happened when the mine was reopening after being closed for the holidays, according to W.V. Governor Joe Manchin. Two cars had been entering the mine and the second car, carrying six miners, made it out after hearing the explosion. The six miners tried to reenter the mine to rescue their fellow workers but were unable to reach them. It's not yet clear what caused the explosion that resulted in the mine's cave-in, but Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, said officials believe it may have been set off by lightning.
The Sago mine is owned by Anker West Virginia Mining Co., which was recently purchased by International Coal Group. Since October, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued 50 citations to Sago mine, some as recently as Dec. 21, including citations for accumulation of combustible materials such as coal dust and loose coal. Mine officials say that all of these violations have since been addressed. View the latest government inspection records for the Sago Mine. The Sago Mine has also had a number of reported accidents, including a history of roof falls.
Update: 3:00am Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Family members were just briefed by W.V. Governor Manchin that the earlier news of the rescued miners was a tragic miscommunication. Twelve miners were pulled out of the mine deceased, and the sole surviving miner, Randall L. McCloy Jr., is in critical condition on a ventilator in a Morgantown, WV hospital.
Update: 11:45pm Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Family members are reporting that the remaining 12 trapped miners have all been found alive! After the sobering afternoon news that the body of a miner had been found, the news that the remaining twelve trapped miners have been found alive is being applauded as a miracle reminiscent of the Quecreek Mine rescue of 2002. After nearly 40 hours with no contact, this was welcome news indeed to the family members and friends on scene, who refused to give up hope throughout the whole ordeal.
Update: 8:00pm Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Mine officials are reporting that rescue crews have found the body of one of the trapped miners about 11,250 feet from the main entrance. No other miners were found in the area. The vehicle used by the miners was found, undamaged, about 700 feet beyond the body, and it appears that the remaining 12 miners left the vehicle under their own power. One small glimmer of hope amid the grim news of the miner's death. The miner was not identified, and the cause of his death is unclear.
Update: 1:00pm Tuesday, January 3, 2006
A mining company executive says rescue workers today are drilling two additional holes to test for air quality and listen for sounds from the 13 trapped miners. Rescue workers making their way into the mine on foot have advanced past the 10,000 foot mark - the miners are believed to be trapped somewhere between 11,000 and 13,000 feet down the tunnel.
Update: 8:00am Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Carbon monoxide in the area where the miners are believed to be trapped is being reported as more than three times the lethal level according to mine officials. A camera dropped into the hole shows few signs of damage from the explosion and no signs of life. The hope is that these miners have somehow managed to barricade themselves in an area containing good air and rescue operations continue.
Rescue crews have successfully drilled a hole more than 9,000 feet horizontally into the two-mile long tunnel and have reached a point close to the area where they believe the trapped miners are located. Rescue efforts have been hampered by high gas concentrations outside the mine, and a mine rescue robot will be sent ahead to test the air quality before rescue crews are allowed in.
The explosion happened when the mine was reopening after being closed for the holidays, according to W.V. Governor Joe Manchin. Two cars had been entering the mine and the second car, carrying six miners, made it out after hearing the explosion. The six miners tried to reenter the mine to rescue their fellow workers but were unable to reach them. It's not yet clear what caused the explosion that resulted in the mine's cave-in, but Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, said officials believe it may have been set off by lightning.
The Sago mine is owned by Anker West Virginia Mining Co., which was recently purchased by International Coal Group. Since October, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued 50 citations to Sago mine, some as recently as Dec. 21, including citations for accumulation of combustible materials such as coal dust and loose coal. Mine officials say that all of these violations have since been addressed. View the latest government inspection records for the Sago Mine. The Sago Mine has also had a number of reported accidents, including a history of roof falls.
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