Posted on 01/21/2006 2:10:00 PM PST by 2111USMC
Edited on 01/21/2006 2:22:59 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
>MELVILLE, W.Va. — Rescuers on Saturday found the bodies of two coal miners who disappeared after a conveyor belt caught fire deep inside a coal mine.
The bodies of Don I. Bragg, 33, and Ellery Hatfield, 47, were found in an area of the mine where rescue teams had been battling the fire for more than 40 hours.
"We have found the two miners we were looking for," said , director of the state Office of Miners' Health Training and Safety. "Unfortunately we don't have a positive outcome."
The miners became separated Thursday evening as their 12-member crew tried to escape a conveyor belt fire at Aracoma Coal's Alma No. 1 mine in Melville, about 60 miles southwest of . The rest of the crew and nine other miners working in a different section of the mine escaped unharmed.
Gov. and U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller informed families of the deaths at a church prior to making the announcement, along with Don Blankenship, chairman of the mine's owner, Massey Energy.
Prayers.
Jay Rockefeller to speak - is he going to blame Bush for this?
Just a suggestion: could the word "dead" or "deceased" or "sad news" or something like it be placed in parenthesis? Those who depend of FR alone for news or who aren't tuned in otherwise will perhaps think it is good news and then feel let down when they click on the thread.
Sad ping.
Prayers.
what can we really do to make this profession totally safe? I am not saying there aren't some things you can do, but its always going to have an inherent danger that is very high.
Where was he the last time?
Kinda makes you wonder what took them so long to find the bodies.
He'll probably say he told the Syrians, Saudis, Yemenis, Iranians, Afghanis, and the French this would likely happen.
"you can talk to someone on a radio to the moon, but can't talk to someone inside a coal mine".
You are spot on; watching him now.
Much prayer for their families and loved ones.
The heat and the smoke, along with collapsing ceiling.
They had temperature readings of over 400 degrees F a very long distance from the fire.
At this point, one can only hope that their deaths came quickly.
Prayers up for the families.
they want a "9-11" style commission, hearings, etc - for coal.
Agree.
It seems much of the time these people have no chance at all if they are unable to get out right away. The successful rescue a few yrs back happened because it involved flooding in the mine, not anything incendiary like explosion or fire.
Yet massive efforts with others risking their lives are undertaken to find them. For what? I mean in the sense of probable outcomes, for what? Not that I don't understand the rescue effort.
I'm guessing they died very, very early in this whole incident
If he says anything other than, "I confess that I leaked the NSA surveillance story to the NYT, and I'm turning myself in Monday morning at 9am," it'll be wasted breath.
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