Joy Turns to Sorrow: 11 Missing WV Miners Found Dead, with Only One Survivor

Families and friends of the 12 miners still trapped in the Sago coal mine in Tallmansville, WV, were elated late last night when they received word that their loved ones had been found alive. Jubilant friends and family members poured out of the church where they had been gathered, the church bells rang, and people wept with joy in the street awaiting further information. Tragically, the good news turned to horror when it was announced that the previous report had been an unfortunate "miscommunication" and 11 of the miners had actually been found dead. The sole survivor was identified as Randal McCloy, 27, from Simpson, W.Va.. His condition is listed as critical and he is being treated in a Morgantown hospital, where he is under sedation and on a ventilator.

The miners were trapped Monday morning after an explosion caused the mine entrance to collapse. The cause of the explosion is unclear and there was no communication from the trapped miners for nearly two days after the explosion occurred.

A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said that the mine had been shut down over the weekend for the New Year’s holiday, and just as the first shift of miners entered to resume production, an explosion was heard and felt by the miners. That shift quickly headed back out, but the miners in the first car never made it out. Four co-workers tried to reach them immediately after the collapse, but were stopped by a wall of debris. The blast knocked out the mine’s communication equipment, so authorities had no way to contact the missing men. The miners had air purifying equipment but no oxygen tanks.

Rescue workers entered the mine Monday night. Tuesday afternoon, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin announced that rescue crews had found the body of one miner 11,200 feet into the mine, about 700 feet from a mine car that had been used by the missing workers. The mine car was undamaged, so searchers were hopeful that the men still missing had found their way to a safe place to wait for rescue. Although no one has given any word on the cause of the explosion, officials said that it may have happened in an abandoned section of the mine. Gov. Manchin told reporters that he felt confident the miners would have known the best place to take shelter in.

Late Tuesday night the rescuers found a barricade and determined that the miners had donned their breathing masks. A short time later they discovered a single survivor, surrounded by the bodies of 11 of his coworkers. It's not clear how long they lived.

The company's news conference announcing the sad news didn't happen until 3:00 a.m.--more than three hours after the miners' families had begun celebrating under the misconception that their loved ones were alive. After people were given the tragic news about the miscommunication, one relative became enraged and lunged at an official outside a Baptist church where relatives had gathered. Family members had to wrestle the grieving man to the ground.

The Sago mine is located about 100 miles northeast of Charleston, WV. It was cited 208 times last year for safety violations, but the Labor Department says that it was not deemed unsafe for workers even though it had just 68 citations during the previous year. The allegations against the Sago mine included failure to properly operate and maintain machinery, and failure to dilute coal dust—which can lead to explosions. ICG officials say that 96 of the citations last year were considered to be "significant and substantial" by inspectors.

President George Bush had called Gov. Manchin Tuesday to offer his prayers and say that the federal government stood ready to offer any help needed for the rescue effort. Now federal officials are expressing sorrow over the deaths, promising a full investigation into how such a terrible miscommunication could have occurred and why it took so long for the error to come to light.