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US miners tried to save themselves, 12 dead
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-05 09:06 TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. - With their escape routes
blocked by heavy smoke, most of the 13 miners caught in an explosion did what
they were trained to do: They retreated deeper into the mine and hung a
curtain-like barrier to keep out toxic gases while they waited for rescuers to
find them, officials said Wednesday. All but one were found dead more than a day
and half after the blast.
The miners' families learned of the 12 deaths during a torturous night in
which they were mistakenly told at first that 12 of the men were alive. It took
three hours before the families were told the truth, and their joy turned
instantly to fury, with one man lunging at coal company officials.
Family members of
dead coal miners comfort each other after identifying the remains on the
campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.Va., Wednesday,
Jan. 4, 2006. There was only one survivor among the 13 coal miners that
were trapped about three miles underground after a mine explosion early
Monday. [AP] | It was the nation's deadliest coal
mining accident in more than four years.
The sole survivor, 27-year-old Randal McCloy, lay in critical condition with
a collapsed lung and dehydration but no sign of brain damage or carbon monoxide
poisoning after being trapped for more than 42 hours, a doctor said. McCloy was
one of the youngest miners in the group.
Ben Hatfied, chief executive of mine owner International Coal Group Inc.,
said that the company did the best it could under extreme stress and exhaustion,
and that officials "sincerely regret" the families were left to believe for so
long that their loved ones were alive.
"In the process of being cautious, we allowed the jubilation to go on longer
than it should have," a choked-up Hatfield said.
He said the initial mistake resulted from a miscommunication among the rescue
crews. Another ICG executive, vice president Gene Kitts, suggested the
misunderstanding resulted because the rescuers who reached the victims were
wearing full-face oxygen masks and used radios to report their findings to their
base.
The last of the 12 bodies were taken out of the mine at midmorning.
One of the dead was discovered several hundred feet from
where the others had barricaded themselves in the maze-like mine, officials
said. Hatfield said the miner, found near a belt used to move coal to the
surface, was apparently killed by the force of the blast.
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