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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.
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.
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