WV mine explosion kills 25

[ameriken]

West Virginia Mine Explosion: 25 Dead, Crews Hoping to Reach Trapped Miners


Blast Worst Mine Disaster Since '84; One Family Lost Three Men



6 comments
By JUJU CHANG, SARAH NETTER and LEE FERRAN

April 6, 2010



Rescue workers Tuesday began to drill deep into the West Virginia mine where a massive explosion killed at least 25, though it could take more than 12 hours to ventilate the area where four miners are believed to be trapped.

The mine owners were fined millions last year for toxic levels of gas.

Nearly everyone in the community surrounding Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine near Whitesville, W. Va., has been affected by the worst mine disaster in more than 25 years.

"I've never seen anything like it," West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin told "Good Morning America" today.

"From the beginning to the end the best word I can think of to describe the evening was agony," the Red Cross' Sheri McGraw said this morning.

She described how families clung to each other in a holding area, eyes trained on the door waiting for word from mine officials.

Eleven deceased miners have been identified so far, leaving 18 families to wonder whether their loved ones are among the 14 still unidentified or whether they can hold out hope that they are among the four possibly still alive deep in the mine.

More: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/West-virgi...ry?id=10296284

[ameriken]

The mine owners were fined millions last year for toxic levels of gas.

[Rocky C]

Prayers Outbound!!!

Semper Fi,
Rocky

[ggyoung]

The UMWA has been after Massey's ass for years. That Blankenship who Owens Massey is a throwback to the old "coal Barron's" of the late 1800's-early 1900's who never gives a damn about people he only cares about production. This is the worst coal mine accident scents Willburg mine fire in 1984. I worked at the Deer creek Mine which is above Willbrug Mine. Same company. We had to shut down. Then a Lot of us went over to Willbrug and worked on the rescuer efforts there. You can not believe what goes in to a rescue effort and the feelings of the families and friends. It pushes you to do things that you would not normally do. When you can't get to the people you are trying to get to you feel very empty inside.When we Finley got to the long wall and found them dead it was a very sad time in my life. Then we had to get out of that mine in a hurry because they were afraid that it was going to explode and we had to leave the body's there. BTW this is the first time I have ever let my feeling be own.FYI A methane, coal dust explosion moves through a mine a 6000 feet a second.