Mine Explosion in WV

[Ally_Kat]

Explosion at W.Va. Coal Mine Traps 13 By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writer
17 minutes ago



A coal mine explosion that may have been sparked by lightning trapped 13 miners underground Monday, setting off an urgent rescue operation.

The condition of the miners was not immediately known. Four co-workers tried to rescue them but were stopped by a wall of debris, and the blast knocked out the mine's communication equipment, preventing authorities from contacting the workers.

It was not immediately known how much air they had or how big a space they were trapped in.

Hours after the apparent methane blast, rescue teams had not been able to enter the Sago Mine because gases were still being vented and it was too dangerous to enter, said Sam Kitts, vice president of operations for International Coal Group Inc., which owns the mine.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration sent a rescue robot to the mine, situated about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.

"All miners are equipped to handle their equipment they have. It's prepared them for survival. So they have an ample supplies for the breathing apparatuses," Gov. Joe Manchin said on CNN. "You just have to hope that the explosions weren't of the magnitude that was horrific from the beginning." But he added: "There are places they can retreat in all these mines, they have catacombs."

The miners were supposed to be working about 160 feet below the surface, said the wife of one of the trapped men. It was known how far down they were trapped.

Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas. It was not immediately clear what sparked the explosion, but Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said it may have been lightning from severe thunderstorms.

The explosion happened between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. as the first shift of miners entered to resume production following the holiday, Ramsburg said.

"As they were heading in, the car in the back either heard or felt some type of explosion. They headed back out. The first car never made it back out," she said.

Thirteen miners were trapped, the coal company said. Four co-workers tried to reach the missing miners but "came to a wall" of debris, said Steve Milligan, deputy director of Upshur County's Office of Emergency Management.

Some 200 co-workers and relatives of those trapped gathered at the Sago Baptist Church, across the road from the mining complex.

Samantha Lewis, whose 28-year-old husband, David, was among those trapped, said he worked the mines so that he could be home every night to take care of their three daughters while she worked on a master's degree in health care administration.

"This was a good way to make a living until we could find something else," said Lewis, whose father, grandfather and stepfather also worked in the mines. "It's just a way of life. Unless you're a coal miner or you have a college degree, you don't make any money."

Anna Simpson said her husband, Randall, 27, was also among those missing. She said he had worked at the mine for three years "but was looking to get out. It was too dangerous."

Miners who work in the mine carry individual air purifying systems that would give them up to seven hours of clean air, said Tim McGee, who works at the mine and was among those at the church. They do not carry oxygen tanks, he said.

McGee said the miners would have been heading to a production area that is about three miles from the mine's opening.

"There's always that possibility, there's always that hope and chance that they were able to go to part of the mine that still had safe air, and they have all the equipment in order to test that," the governor told CNN.

International Coal Group bought the Sago Mine (pronounced SAY-goh) recently from Anker West Virginia Mining Co.

Federal inspectors cited the mine for 46 alleged violations of federal mine health and safety rules during an 11-week review that ended Dec. 22, according to records.

The more serious alleged violations, resulting in proposed penalties of at least $250 each, involved steps for safeguarding against roof falls, and the mine's plan to control methane and breathable dust. The mine received 185 citations from MSHA during 2005, up from 68 citations in 2004.

West Virginia ended 2005 with three mining deaths, the lowest since 2000.

In February 2003, three contract workers were killed by a methane explosion while drilling an air shaft at a Consol Energy mine near Cameron.

In September 2001, 13 coal miners were killed in a series of explosions at a mine in Broached, Ala. That was the nation's worst mining accident since 1984, when fire killed 27 coal miners near Orangeville, Utah.

In July 2002, nine coal miners were rescued after being trapped for 77 hours in a mine near Somerset, Pa.

The deadliest coal mining disaster in U.S. history was an explosion in 1907 in Monongah that killed 362 people.

[Ally_Kat]

Families Are Told Body Found in W.Va. Mine By VICKI SMITH, Associated Press Writer
12 minutes ago



Rescue crews found one body late Tuesday in a West Virginia mine where 13 miners were trapped after an explosion, but they held out hope that the others were still alive, even as precious time continued to slip away.

The unidentified body was found about 700 feet from a mine car, and it appeared the employee was working on a beltline, which brings coal out of the mine, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer for the mine's owner, International Coal Group Inc.

Red Cross volunteer Tamila Swiger, who was with miners' families inside a church, said family members were "passing out and crying and just really in bad shape" after hearing about the body from Gov. Joe Manchin.

There was no immediate word about the fate of the other 12 miners, who had been trapped 260 feet below the surface of the Sago Mine, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston, after an explosion early Monday.

Rescuers located the body about 11,250 feet from the mine's entrance. Officials had thought the miners were about 12,000 feet inside the mine.

Hatfield said it appeared that the other miners were able to get out of the mine car "under their own power."

"But we do not know from there, at this point, where they have gone," he said. "We are still operating in rescue mode and are looking for survivors."

Rescuers cannot go any farther into the mine without improved ventilation systems, which the company was installing, he said.

Company officials have refused to speculate on the cause of the blast, but the governor's office said it might have been caused by lightning.

Hatfield said rescue crews did not find a cave-in or a roof collapse in the mine. He said the explosion may have occurred in an abandoned section of the mine that was sealed off in December.

Sandy Barron, whose nephew Randal McCloy was one of the trapped miners, said families were told there was no trace of the other men. And they were still hopeful their loved ones made it to safety.

Families hoped the fact that the mine car was undamaged meant the other miners may have been able to escape unharmed.

"There's a very good chance they've barricaded themselves somewhere," said John Groves, whose brother Jerry Groves was among the trapped miners. "They don't know where they went, but they went somewhere."

Earlier Tuesday, the prospects of finding any of the miners alive appeared bleak after holes drilled into the ground yielded deadly levels of carbon monoxide and no signs of life.

"With each hour that passes, the likelihood of a successful outcome diminishes," Hatfield said, adding that the rescue effort was "clearly in the situation where we need a miracle."

Rescue teams worked their way through the mine on foot for fear machinery might cause volatile gases to explode.

The company told families that a powerful explosion had rocked the mine, based on damage near where the miners may be trapped, said Rick McGee, who works at the mine with McCloy, his brother-in-law.

Cinderblock walls meant to direct the flow of air inside the mine were knocked down by the blast, McGee said.

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.

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.

Rescuers had 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, company officials were "very discouraged" by the test results.

Also, a camera lowered down a 6 1/4-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.

___

On the Net:

Federal Mine Health and Safety Administration: http://www.msha.gov

___

Associated Press Allen C. Breed in Tallmansville contributed to this report.

[Ally_Kat]

Where they found this body, it has to be the fireboss, which is that Helm's guy. His family was all over giving interviews yesterday.

[Ally_Kat]

not confirmed, but they started screaming 12 alive and everyone started running into the church.

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
not confirmed, but they started screaming 12 alive and everyone started running into the church.

Thet should pray because just few mins. ago, the governor of Virginia was talking about the hope for A MIRACLE!

Extremely sad... I really feel for the families and I hope those guys are holding on and won't suffer too much.

I can't eaven thing about their fears and how horrible it must be to be in their position... :(

[Ally_Kat]

OH SHIT!

There's a fist fight in West Virginia!

Only one miner is alive and he's in critical condition. The news has come out after 45 minutes of hte families celebrating.

The one chick ran out and said there's a fistfight in the church.

She said she heard something about the others not being able to be saved.

[FORD]

The whore media jumped the fucking gun in reporting the so called "miracle". It sounds like only one guy may have survived after all :(

[blonddgirl777]

Why exactly did they start to fight in the church???

[FORD]

Originally posted by blonddgirl777
Why exactly did they start to fight in the church???

I'm guessing it was over the conflicting reports of who did and didn't make it out.

What else could it have been?

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by FORD
I'm guessing it was over the conflicting reports of who did and didn't make it out.

What else could it have been?

Do you mean that they couldn't possibly save everybody so they had to "select" (or something)?
Do people feel like the rescuers didn't make enough efforts?

I guess we'll know soon...

[ashstralia]

this was just posted in the smh. wtf?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/twelve-miners-found-alive-in-coal-mine/2006/01/04/1136050488411.html

[FORD]

Originally posted by blonddgirl777
Do you mean that they couldn't possibly save everybody so they had to "select" (or something)?
Do people feel like the rescuers didn't make enough efforts?

I guess we'll know soon...

No, I mean that somebody fucked up the message in the first place. I'm guessing it originated when the dumbass governor came out to the crowd and gave them a thumbs up sign and told them to "believe in miracles", and somebody maybe misinterpreted that as a sign that there were some survivors. It's one thing to encourage people to pray and think positive thoughts, but it's a bit irresponsible for a government official to give that as an "official comment". And I'm guessing those royal FUCKUPS at FEMA took it from there.

Anderson Cooper of CNN claims that the government specifically had told him they had 12 people alive.

Comes down to "Heck of a job, Brownie" part 2, apparently.

[WACF]

Terrible.

The media showed little restraint...they should of made sure before reporting survivors.
What a horrible thing for those families to have to go through.

[diamondD]

I had some server work to do in the middle of the night and was watching all the survivor coverage. It was pretty shocking to go from 12 rescued to 12 dead. I thought it was an error on the bottom of the screen at first.

I'm hearing more about someone overheard a cell phone conversation and ran with it than I am about the government. The government didn't send them down into a dangerous mine FORD.

[WACF]

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/story.html?id=84bc586c-a47c-4183-a72c-521e7e20dded

Federal inspectors cited the mine for 46 alleged violations of federal mine health and safety rules during an 11-week review that ended Dec. 22, according to records.

The more serious alleged violations, resulting in proposed penalties of at least $250 each, involved steps for safeguarding against roof falls, and the mine's plan to control methane and breathable dust. The mine received 208 citations from MSHA during 2005, up from 68 citations in 2004.

The state Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training issued 144 notices of violation against the mine in 2005, up from 74 the year before.

Kitts said safety at the mine has improved dramatically since ICG took over and the company is working closely with regulatory agencies to make further improvements.

"We think that we are operating a safe mine," he said. "We have no real clue about what triggered this explosion or what happened today."



As a underground miner I can tell you I find this bit disturbing.
That last line is pure Bullshit...they know.

I do not know how things work in that state...but labour laws can prevent things from escalating to this point.
It does sound like they have a mine inspection branch...and they were looking into some complaints.
Accidents will still happen, but some can be prevented.
I do not know but I wonder if they have a right to refuse dangerous work article in their mining act.

We lost miners at Westray...due to negligence of the company.
Because of that we have the Westray bill...which means when a company takes short cuts in equipment or Health and Saftey violations they can be criminally charged.

[Hardrock69]

Heh....the Gnashville newspaper (The Tennesseean) ran the following on this morning's front page:

"12 Miners Found Alive 41 Hours After Blast"

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by WACF
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/story.html?id=84bc586c-a47c-4183-a72c-521e7e20dded

[I]...Because of that we have the Westray bill...which means when a company takes short cuts in equipment or Health and Saftey violations they can be criminally charged.


Thanks for that!!!

[WACF]

Originally posted by blonddgirl777
Do people feel like the rescuers didn't make enough efforts?


No problem.

On the did they do enough question...I can tell you I spent a few years on our Mine Rescue team.
The saftey of the team is your number one priority.
With your breathing equipment and first aid supples...stretcher, gas testers ect., you can not risk a team member becoming injured. You need every member.

Heat from fire or explosion also changes your ground conditions very drastically...especially in coal...we are Potash.
You spend more time checking gases or explosive limits and ground conditions than you do advancing quickly.
In practices we would build wooden cribs to hold up the roof with our equipment on...it takes a long time...and with limited air in your breathing packs very exhausting. It is a very slow undertaking.

I can gaurantee you the rescuers did all they could...they were their own.

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by WACF
[url]
I do not know how things work in that state...but labour laws can prevent things from escalating to this point.
It does sound like they have a mine inspection branch...and they were looking into some complaints.


I come from there, a long line of miners. From what I can gather, many mine inspectors take payoffs to overlook certain things.

From what I've seen happen to my family members, there is no way I would ever go in a mine. I don't believe any mine is safe, no matter how many precautions are taken.

[WACF]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
I come from there, a long line of miners. From what I can gather, many mine inspectors take payoffs to overlook certain things.

From what I've seen happen to my family members, there is no way I would ever go in a mine. I don't believe any mine is safe, no matter how many precautions are taken.

That is horrible...that is where the right to refuse dangerous work would come into play...if it exists there.

I had an unfortunate accident a year and half ago.
I was involved in a ground fall and was inches from being killed.
Luckily I only broke my collar bone and a couple of ribs...due to a peice of equipment taking the load as it crushed me down.
My ear got knicked, instead of a direct blow on my head.

BUT, I can tell you with 18 years in the mine I see more risk on the highway to work than while at work.
My incident was out of the ordinary...an (unfortuanate)series of events all occuring at the same time.

[Big Fat Sammy]

Damn.

My grandfather broke nearly every bone in his body in the mines of WV. It's much safer now, but still a dangerous job. And there is always Black Lung.

You have to understand that West Virginia has the poorest counties in the whole United States. I could show you places that would make you think you are in some third world country.

Miners make great money...so they aren't likely to turn down unsafe work, because often times the only other choice is poverty...

[WACF]

I see what you are saying.

Maybe labour laws need to be stiffer...not an easy thing to change when big business can influence government.
Are the workers unionized?
When faced with losing a good wage people will do alot of things to get by.

We have excellent labour laws here...along with a good mining act.
Our mine inspectors unfortunalty are chosen by the minister of labour and quite often are friends of the minister rather than an experienced miner or someone within the industry.
So we have our problems too...but thank God no pay offs to overlook.

That is criminal.

[Fairwrning]

If I'm not mistaken..first report was lightning caused the explosion somehow..."act of god" was used...therefore no one can be sued...
This mine also had 46, i think, previous saftey violations..some fixed..some not..
Being somewhat clausterphobic..buried alive is a nasty way to go..much sympathy to the families there..

[WACF]

Mine ventalation and a gas pocket or build up are most certainly a cause.

Lighning could be a factor I suppose...but you need the build up of an explosive gas...which should not build up to the explosive limit in a properly ventalated mine...without setting off a gas detector.

In coal there has to be gas detectors.
I believe the lower explosive limit of Methane is only %5...when you get close to that you would withdraw your men.

That did not happen.

[larbo]

The misinformation came like this. A rescue worker said that he just found 12 individuals & to stand-by for report. This means he had eye contact but had not checked for vitals. one of the governer's people that was at the command center heard this on the loud speaker, took it upon themselves to call the gov. at the church & told him they were coming out with 12 people. The gov. then told the families at the church that 12 were found alive. The people were thankful & celebrating. Three hours later the ceo of ICG came to the church & sprung it on the people that there was only 1 survivor. The people, at first, thought they were being lied to & thought the company was trying to hide something, & was furious. You have to understand the pressure that these people were under. first they were told & knew that the odds didn't look good. Then were told by the Governer that they were all alive. Then told by CEO Hetfield, that they were all dead. The confusion is all the governer's fault! Later, When confronted by a reporter from CNN that said that the gov. told her personally that 12 was found alive, he denied it. She told me exactly what & how he said it & I believe her. This idiot should have never been allowed on the property. When I heard he showed up there, I knew no good would come from it. He is just like his daddy(former gov. of W.Va), an attention-whore-crook. This mining company did have an outrageous number of write-ups. This IS normal for all coal companies. They take short-cuts to save a lot of money. Make no mistake, The miners know this each & every time they enter the mine. Methane gas is a serious problem in the mines here. It is vented the best it can be but sometimes it is not enough. A little arc of static electricity can ignite methane or coal dust. Coal dust is just as explosive as gun powder. I mean, It's a gamble everytime you are down there. a lot of shit can happen. I could be wrong but I think lightening caused this one because we were having a pretty good thunder storm at that time. The twelve miners probably died 1 1/2 to two hours after the blast on monday. On the comment about Inspectors getting paid off to look the other way, It happens, sometimes. But not as much as you might think. Most Inspectors ARE hard-ass's. I come from a long line of coal miners. I worked in the mines for 7 years. My last job, before I was hurt, was on surface mines. All miners say a miners prayer before entering the hole in the ground, knowing they may not come back out. Why do we still do it? A miner can make on average, 50 thousand a year. which is ok for around here. A good, experienced miner can make between 70 to 100 thousand per year which has earned me & my family a good lifestyle. I was covered up one time but made it out with only a broken arm. My dad lost his arm six years ago from a roof-bolting accident. One of my brothers had a huge piece of rock break free from the ceiling & fall on him & break his back. luckily, he was not paralysed. He has went on to build miners for coal companies. The biggest tragedy of all is the women & children were given hope that their husbands and daddies were ok. I will never forget the look on an eight year old girls face when they told her that her dad, my friend, was killed. I knew all of the people that perished. This is a sad day for us all.

[larbo]

Originally posted by larbo
The misinformation came like this. A rescue worker said that he just found 12 individuals & to stand-by for report. This means he had eye contact but had not checked for vitals. one of the governer's people that was at the command center heard this on the loud speaker, took it upon themselves to call the gov. at the church & told him they were coming out with 12 people. The gov. then told the families at the church that 12 were found alive. The people were thankful & celebrating. Three hours later the ceo of ICG came to the church & sprung it on the people that there was only 1 survivor. The people, at first, thought they were being lied to & thought the company was trying to hide something, & was furious. You have to understand the pressure that these people were under. first they were told & knew that the odds didn't look good. Then were told by the Governer that they were all alive. Then told by CEO Hetfield, that they were all dead. The confusion is all the governer's fault! Later, When confronted by a reporter from CNN that said that the gov. told her personally that 12 was found alive, he denied it. She told me exactly what & how he said it & I believe her. This idiot should have never been allowed on the property. When I heard he showed up there, I knew no good would come from it. He is just like his daddy(former gov. of W.Va), an attention-whore-crook. This mining company did have an outrageous number of write-ups. This IS normal for all coal companies. They take short-cuts to save a lot of money. Make no mistake, The miners know this each & every time they enter the mine. Methane gas is a serious problem in the mines here. It is vented the best it can be but sometimes it is not enough. A little arc of static electricity can ignite methane or coal dust. Coal dust is just as explosive as gun powder. I mean, It's a gamble everytime you are down there. a lot of shit can happen. I could be wrong but I think there was a quick build-up of either methane or coal dust & lightening set it off because we were having a pretty good thunder storm at that time. Coal liberates methane and sometimes can do it very fast even when you check it like you are supposed to. The twelve miners probably died 1 1/2 to two hours after the blast on monday from carbon-monoxide poisoning. On the comment about Inspectors getting paid off to look the other way, It happens, sometimes. But not as much as you might think. Most Inspectors ARE hard-ass's. I come from a long line of coal miners. I worked in the mines for 7 years. My last job, before I was hurt, was on surface mines. All miners say a miners prayer before entering the hole in the ground, knowing they may not come back out. Why do we still do it? A miner can make on average, 50 thousand a year. which is ok for around here. A good, experienced miner can make between 70 to 100 thousand per year which has earned me & my family a good lifestyle. I was covered up one time but made it out with only a broken arm. My dad lost his arm six years ago from a roof-bolting accident. One of my brothers had a huge piece of rock break free from the ceiling & fall on him & break his back. luckily, he was not paralysed. He has went on to build miners for coal companies. The biggest tragedy of all is the women & children were given hope that their husbands and daddies were ok. I will never forget the look on an eight year old girls face when they told her that her dad, my friend, was killed. I knew all of the people that perished. This is a sad day for us all.

[larbo]

Sorry. I meant to edit that, not quote it.

[Big Fat Sammy]

Are you near there larbo?

I'm originally from Beckley.

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by larbo
The misinformation came like this. A rescue worker said that he just found 12 individuals & to stand-by for report. This means he had eye contact but had not checked for vitals. one of the governer's people that was at the command center heard this on the loud speaker, took it upon themselves to call the gov. at the church & told him they were coming out with 12 people. The gov. then told the families at the church that 12 were found alive.

Wait, where did you get this? Everyone, even the Gov said that there were calls to the relatives, not the Gov.

And what about the arrangements they started to make with the families on seeing the guys before taking them to the hospital?