The latest news isn't very good. A robot was sent down, and the air quality isn't condusive to life.
Mining Exec 'Very Discouraged' by Air Tests
By JENNIFER C. YATES, Associated Press Writer
TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. - Rescuers trying to reach 13 trapped miners punched a hole into the mine early Tuesday, but a company executive said he was "very discouraged" by air quality tests.
Carbon monoxide levels measured 1,300 parts per million, exceeding the 400 parts per million maximum safe level, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer of mine owner International Coal Group Inc.
"We are very discouraged by the results of this test," Hatfield said.
Still, Hatfield said the trapped miners could still be alive.
"They could be in another location or they could be barricaded somewhere," Hatfield told reporters.
The test results were announced after crews drilled the hole. They also sent a camera down the 6 1/4 inch hole to look for signs of life, and planned to move in a camera-equipped robot, Gov. Joe Manchin said.
"We're still hoping for that miracle as you know," Manchin told ABC's "Good Morning America."
Family members, who had been optimistic and talkative with reporters, retreated to the nearby Sago Baptist Church without making any comments after learning of the test results.
The families and friends of the miners believed to be trapped below ground had waited overnight in a muddy field and the church near the mine's entrance in Upshur County, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.
They waited for any news about the progress of mine rescue crews trying to locate their fathers, brothers, uncles and sons, who were trapped 260 feet below the surface of the mine after an explosion early Monday.
"It's hard waiting," said Tambra Flint, whose 26-year-old son Randal McCloy was trapped in the mine.
Flint stayed at the mine overnight, making her way to the closest entrance and staring into the blackness.
Daniel Merideth, son-in-law of Alby Martin Bennett who had planned to retire this year, also stayed at the site. He said he didn't sleep at all, preferring to site under a tent near the mine's entrance.
Every couple of hours, the group of a couple hundred family members and friends were briefed by mine officials.
"We don't want them to hear something from the media first," said Gene Kitts, a senior vice president for mine owner International Coal Group Inc. of Ashland, Ky.
He said family members, many of whom have worked in the mines themselves, have had lots of questions, some of them as specific as what type of machines are being used in the rescue effort.
"Every day he would come home and pray for who was going in," said Merideth. "Right now he is probably in there witnessing to people. He would be organizing and praying."
The rescue teams entered the mine more than 11 hours after the blast. They were kept out of the mine for most of the day because of dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.
The miners 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 Sago Baptist Church. They do not carry oxygen tanks, he said.
Kitts said the miners each had between 3 and 30 years experience and are trained to try to tap on roots, waterlines, anything possible, to alert rescuers of their location.
"This is not a rookie crew underground," Kitts said. "So we're just trusting that their training and their mining instincts have kicked in immediately ...
"We will expect to be there quick enough so that food, water, those sorts of issues probably will not come into play," Kitts said.
Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas, and the danger increases in the winter months, when the barometric pressure can release the odorless, colorless and highly flammable gas.
The mine had been idle on Saturday and Sunday, and two groups of miners were to resume production on Monday. A fire boss went into the mine before the first group entered the mine at 5:51 a.m. and declared it was safe.
The second group of miners entered at 6:30 a.m., just before power went out in the mine. The second group withdrew.
ICG acquired the Sago Mine (pronounced SAY-goh) last March when it bought Anker West Virginia Mining Co., which had been in bankruptcy. The Sago Mine had annual production of about 800,000 tons of coal, the company said.
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."
Buckhannon Mine Disaster
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