This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

Wikinews has three articles on the accident:

• Coal miners trapped in West Virginia mine
• 13 coal miners trapped in West Virginia mine
• 12 coal miners are found dead, 1 in critical condition, in West Virginia mine

The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006 in the Sago Mine (pronounced /ˈseɪgoʊ/) in Tallmansville, West Virginia, USA that trapped 13 miners for nearly two days. One miner survived. It was the worst mining disaster in the U.S. since a 2001 disaster in Alabama killed 13, and the worst in West Virginia since a 1968 disaster that took 78 lives. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the main page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... Image File history File links Wikinews-logo. ... Wikinews is a free content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikinews has three articles on the accident: Coal miners trapped in West Virginia mine 13 coal miners trapped in West Virginia mine 12 coal miners are found dead, 1 in critical condition, in West Virginia mine Sago (pronounced ) is an area of the unincorporated community of Tallmansville in Upshur County... This is a concise version of the International Phonetic Alphabet for English sounds. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: 13 coal miners trapped in West Virginia mine Tallmansville is a small unincorporated community located in Upshur County, West Virginia. ... State nickname: Mountain State Official languages English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Senators Robert Byrd (D) Jay Rockefeller (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 41st 62,809 km² 0. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the extraction of coal from the Earth for use as fuel. ...

The explosion

The incident occurred at the beginning of the first shift after the mine had closed for the New Year holiday weekend. An inspection at 5:50 a.m. (all times Eastern Standard Time) cleared the mine for use. Two carts of miners were making their way into the mine to begin work. For information on the movie, New Years Day, see New Years Day (film). ... The North American Eastern Standard Time Zone (abbreviated EST) is a geographic region that keeps time by subtracting five hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) resulting in UTC-5. ...

The explosion at approximately 6:30 a.m. was heard and felt by many people outside the mine. It is not known what triggered it. Some early reports noted that there was a thunderstorm in the area at the time and suggested a lightning strike near the mineshaft may have ignited volatile gases, though no one reported seeing such a strike. Sensors from the National Lightning Detection Network indicated at least two cloud-ground lightning strikes near the mine, CNN reported. A roll cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... Lightning over Pentagon City in Arlington County, Virginia Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. ...

In the winter, changes in barometric pressure can cause methane to pool in mines, a cause of other cold-weather mining accidents. In many parts of the world, winter is associated with snow. ... diurnal (daily) rhythm of air pressure in northern Germany (black curve is air pressure) Atmospheric pressure is the pressure above any area in the Earths atmosphere caused by the weight of air. ... R-phrases S-phrases , , , Flash point −188 °C Autoignition temperature 537 °C Explosive limits 5–15% Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ...

The explosion itself apparently took the form of methane explosion in a closed and sealed section of the mine. (Methane is the primary component of natural gas, and natural gas wells exist near the mine.) The explosion blew out the concrete seal to the main part of the mine. Due to insufficient air, and/or incomplete mixing of methane and air, the methane was not completely burned to carbon dioxide and water. This produced large amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) that moved through the blown-out seal into the main part of the mine where the miners were trapped. Methane is not especially toxic, but it can suffocate by displacing oxygen. Carbon monoxide, on the other hand, is highly toxic in small concentrations because it binds strongly to the hemoglobin in the blood and renders it useless as an oxygen carrier. Carbon monoxide, chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless, flammable and highly toxic gas. ...

Six men on the second cart escaped the initial explosion. The 13 trapped miners were on the first cart, which apparently passed the point where the explosion occurred. Several of those on the second cart tried to return down the shaft to rescue their coworkers. They made it as far as 9,000 feet (2,743 m) down the shaft before air quality monitors indicated there was too much carbon monoxide to proceed. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a standardized index of the air quality in a given location, given in parts per billion. ...

Rescue effort

Delays in starting the search

Ken Ward, Jr., an investigative reporter for the Charleston (WV) Gazette wrote in a January 15, 2006 story entitled "“‘Chaos’ marred critical early hours after blast”, that the company did not call a specialized mine rescue crew until 8:04 a.m. — more than 90 minutes after the blast. The company notified the federal Mine safety andHealth Administration at 8:30 a.m. The company said it started its calls at 7:40. MSHA records two calls at 8:10 to personnel who were out of town due to the holiday. MSHA arrived on site at approximately 10:30 a.m. The first rescue crew arrived ten minutes later. [1]

Rescuers had to wait 12 hours after the explosion to begin to reach the miners due to high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and methane gas in the shaft. Tests taken through holes drilled from the surface showed that the air near where the miners were last known to be stationed contained 1,300 parts per million of carbon monoxide (400 parts per million is the maximum considered safe). [2] Carbon monoxide, chemical formula CO, is a colourless, odourless, flammable and highly toxic gas. ...

Since the blast disabled the mine's internal communications system, the condition of the 13 miners was unknown. They had air-purifying equipment that would give them seven hours of breathable air, but no oxygen tanks. Emergency supplies were stored in 55-gallon drums within the mine. General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... A typical drum A 44 gallon drum (known as a 55 gallon drum in the United States) is a cylindrical metal container (drum) with a nominal capacity of 44 imperial gallons, 55 U.S. gallons or 205 liters. ...

Further delays

Even after the gases abated, rescuers had to proceed with caution. Safety regulations required that they continually test for dangers to themselves such as water seeps and gas concentrations, limiting their rate of progress to 1,000 feet (305 m) an hour. They checked in every 500 feet (152 m), and then disconnected their telephones until the next checkpoint in order to avoid the possibility of a spark creating another explosion. MSHA had deployed a 1,300-lb. (520 kg) robot into the mineshaft as well, but pulled it out after it tipped and got a flat tire 2,600 feet from the mine entrance. Look up Spark in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The word spark has several meanings: Sparks produced by grinding In electricity, spark usually refers to a momentary electrostatic discharge across a spark gap. ... A humanoid robot playing a trumpet In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which can perform complex tasks either according to direct human control, partial control with human supervision, or autonomously (that is, fully under computer control). ...

In Ward's story mentioned above, he also reported that After more than nine hours of searching, rescue teams pulled out of the mine at about 3:40 a.m. Tuesday. “Through an agency spokeswoman, Bob Friend of MSHA said the teams were withdrawn when they discovered that the mine’s atmospheric monitoring system was still running. Given the air quality in the mine, power to the system could have caused a follow-up explosion, safety experts said. Also, a borehole being drilled to check the mine’s air quality was nearing the mine roof. “The bit and steel being used was not equipped to use water, which meant the bit was hot and could ignite an explosive mixture of methane,” Friend told Ward. Rescue teams returned to the mine 6:22 a.m. Tuesday. [3]

Locating the trapped miners

The 13 trapped men were located about 2 miles (3.2 km) along the slanting mine shaft, about 280 feet (85 m) below ground. Five four-man teams attempted to make their way down the 5.5-foot (167 cm)-high shaft. As of 12:40 p.m. on January 3, the rescue teams had made it 10,200 feet (3,109 m) down the shaft. At the time, it was believed that the trapped miners were somewhere between 11,000 to 13,000 feet (3,352 to 3,962 m) along the shaft. January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Two 6.25-inch (15.9 cm) holes were drilled into the mineshaft from above into areas where the miners were believed to be. Microphones and video cameras lowered into them for ten-minute periods did not find any signs of life. Air quality tests performed through the first hole on the morning of January 3 that indicated CO levels in that part of the shaft were at 1,300 parts per million, over three times the 400 parts per million tolerance of the human body. Officials called this "very discouraging." A third hole encountered groundwater and could not be drilled all the way down. Inside a condenser microphone. ... A video camera can be classified two ways: Professional video cameras, such as those used in television production Camcorders used by amateurs This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Parts-per notation is a measure of concentration that is used where low levels of concentration are significant. ... Groundwater is water which may be flowing within aquifers below the water table. ...

However, the miners were very experienced and trained to find a safe part of the tunnel and barricade themselves into it in the event of an explosion or collapse. Experts expected that a third hole, if successful, could expand the opening and provide a better way of rescuing the miners than going the long way down the shaft. Miners are required to carry a Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) that provides a brief supply of oxygen for evacuation.

The first report on the status of the condition of the miners came just before midnight on January 3. It was reported that the body of one miner had been found. Because of the location of the body, it was obvious to those familiar with the miners and their jobs, that it was likely the body of Terry Helms. About an hour later, reports spread quickly that all twelve of the remaining had also been found alive, but these reports were false. International Coal Group CEO Ben Hatfield confirmed that there was only one survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., approximately three hours after reports first surfaced of 12 survivors. This was the first official report from the company since the victims were found. On January 5, notes written by some of the deceased miners were submitted to family members [4]. Bennett K. Hatfield (born 1956) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Coal Group, Inc. ... Randal McCloy, Jr. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Soon after the first reports of survivors surfaced, several ambulances were seen lining up at the scene to prepare to transport the miners. Hospital spokesperson Turner said that the hospital ER was prepared to respond to a situation in which 12 miners were able to find some shelter and await rescue. The remaining miners were found at the working face of the second left portion of the mine, some 2.5 miles from the mine entrance, behind a "rough barricade structure," as described by Hatfield [5]. This is the same area where drillings indicated high carbon monoxide levels.

Forty-one hours after the incident began, twelve of the miners were found dead in the early morning hours of January 4. One, Randal L. McCloy Jr., was found alive, but in critical condition. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Randal McCloy, Jr. ...

At the time McCloy was found alive, it was erroneously reported that 11 others were also alive [6]. Thirty minutes later, the rescue team told company officials that the original report was incorrect. Ben Hatfield, CEO of International Coal Group which owns the mine, states that he asked state troopers to inform clergy to tell people inside Sago Church that there were now conflicting reports, but the news didn't reach family members. They expressed anger that they were allowed to continue to celebrate for another two-and-a-half hours. Officials and reporters blamed "miscommunication" between rescuers and the command center for the erroneous information, but questions were raised about the news media's role in the spread of the incorrect information. [7] Bennett K. Hatfield (born 1956) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Coal Group, Inc. ... International Coal Group, Inc. ... News media satellite up-link trucks and photojournalists gathered outside the Prudential Financial headquarters in Newark, New Jersey in August, 2004 following the announcement of evidence of a terrorist threat to it and to buildings in New York City. ...

Hatfield indicated that carbon monoxide levels in the area where the miners were found was in the range of 300-400 ppm when the rescue team arrived. This is near the safe threshold level to support life. He said that carbon monoxide poisoning was the likely cause of death.

"Our intentions are to do the right thing and protect our people the best we can," Hatfield said. Federal and state mining officials will conduct a "thorough investigation" of the accident "with full company support."

Early response of government officials

Governor Joe Manchin, who lost an uncle in the 1968 Farmington Mining Disaster, arrived at the Sago site on January 2 after flying in from Atlanta, Georgia, where he was preparing to watch the West Virginia University Mountaineers football team play in the Sugar Bowl. Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito was also among the officials that joined the family members at the scene. list of West Virginia Governors Arthur I. Boreman Republican 1863-1869 Daniel D. T. Farnsworth Republican 1869-1869 William E. Stevenson Republican 1869-1871 John J. Jacob Democratic 1871-1877 Henry M. Mathews Democratic 1877-1881 Jacob B. Jackson Democratic 1881-1885 Emanuel W. Wilson Democratic 1885-1890 Aretas B... Joe Manchin Joe Manchin III (born August 24, 1947 in Farmington, West Virginia) was elected Governor of West Virginia in the 2004 election and took office on January 17, 2005. ... On November 19, 1968, the night crew of the Consol No. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Atlanta is the capital of and largest city in the U.S. state of Georgia. ... West Virginia University WVU Mountaineer Mascot statue in front of the Mountainlair Student Union. ... West Virginia University Mountaineers is the name used by the athletic teams of West Virginia University. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football game traditionally played in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Years Day. ... Shelley Moore Capito (born November 26, 1953) is a American politician. ...

The Mine Safety and Health Administration had approximately 25 people on the scene at any given time, according to the Agency's Web site.

Mine Ownership

Anker West Virginia Mining

Anker West Virginia Mining is listed as the permittee for the Sago Mine.

International Coal Group (ICG)

In March 2005, ICG agreed to acquire Anker Coal Group, Inc. {In its third quarter report dated October 26, 2005, ICG reported, "All conditions to closing the acquisitions have been satisfied other than effectiveness of the related registration statement." [8] October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

International Coal Group, Inc. [9] was formed in May 2004 by investor Wilbur Ross, who led a group that bought many of Horizon Natural Resources' assets in a bankruptcy auction. The company produces coal from 12 mining complexes in Northern and Central Appalachia (Kentucky, Maryland, and West Virginia) and from one complex in the Illinois Basin.

International Coal Group announced that on January 5, 2006, it brought in Dix & Eaton to assist with communications efforts regarding the Sago Mine accident. [10] January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Investigation and inspections

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. The governor's office said a lightning strike may have caused an explosion deep within the mine shaft. J. Davitt McAteer, the former director of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (USMSHA), said restarting operations after a holiday weekend may have caused sparks to ignite an excess buildup of methane gas and coal dust in the mine. [11] Shaft mining is a type of underground mining done by use of a mine shaft. ...

The Department of Labor which oversees MSHA, is opening an independent investigation into the cause of the explosion. "The team will be headed up by a senior MSHA safety professional who has not been part of the initial inspection and enforcement efforts," their Web site says.

Lightning Strike and Seismic Activity

Weatherbug, a Germantown, MD-headquartered weather tracking system reported on January 6, 2006 that “The evidence suggests that the lightning strike could have caused the explosion due to the correlation between the timing and location of the lightning strike and seismic activity.” January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The company's equipment detected 100 lightning strikes in the region within 40 minutes of the explosion. A single, powerful lightning strike registered at or near the mouth of the Sago mine at 6:26:36 a.m. This strike held a particularly strong positive charge of 35 kAmps. (A typical strike is 22 to 25 kAmps.)

Dr. Martin Chapman, PhD, a Virginia Tech research assistant professor, found that two independent sensors recorded a minor seismic event, possibly from the explosion, 2 seconds later at 6:26:38 a.m. [12]

Safety violations

The Sago Mine is operated by the Ashland, Kentucky-based International Coal Group (ICG), which bought the mine from its bankrupt owner, Anker West Virginia Mining Company, in November 2005. Opened in 1999, the mine was closed for two years beginning in 2002. A slope mine, it employs 145 miners and produces 800,000 tons (720,000 tonnes) of coal a year. City motto: A proud past. ... International Coal Group, Inc. ... Bankruptcy in the United States is a matter placed under Federal jurisdiction by the United States Constitution (in Article 1, Section 8), which allows Congress to enact uniform laws on the subject of Bankruptcy throughout the United States. ... Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Al Jazeera bombing memo • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak • Black sites scandal • Conservative leadership race (UK) • Fuel prices • Irans nuclear program • Jilin chemical plant explosions • Kashmir earthquake • Malawi food crisis • Malaysian prisoner abuse scandal • New Delhi bombings investigation • Niger food crisis • North Indian cyclone... Slope mining according to [1]: Slope mining occurs when an inclined opening is used to tap the coal seam (or seams). ...

In 2005, the mine was cited by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 208 times for violating regulations, up from 68 in 2004. Of those, 96 were considered significant and substantial. ^[13] Additionally, West Virginia's Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training issued 144 citations over that year, up from 74 the previous year. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) and to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents...

Some of those citations were for violations that could have been factors in the accident, such as failure to control methane and coal-dust accumulation, failure to properly shore up shafts against collapse and overall deficiencies in emergency planning.

However, MSHA reports that none of the violations were considered to be an "immediate risk of injury" and that all but three violations, related to shoring up the roof, were corrected by the time of the accident. They say the increased violations were related to increased inspections.^[14]

Mining operations at the Sago Mine more than doubled between 2004 and 2005, prompting MSHA to dramatically increase – by 84% – its on-site inspection and enforcement presence. As a result, MSHA also took significantly more enforcement actions – 208 in total – against Sago Mine in 2005, requiring the operator to quickly correct health and safety violations in accordance with federal Mine Act standards.

MSHA records also showed that since the year 2000, Sago miners had suffered 42 injuries that resulted in lost work time. In 2004 the mine's injury rate for hours worked was nearly three times the national average.

Media coverage

News of the Sago mine explosion first broke widely to television viewers on the cable news channel CNN. At approximately 11:41 a.m. on January 2, during CNN Live Today, anchor Daryn Kagan, announced, "This just in, news out of West Virgina, an underground explosion at a coal mine there." CNN Live Today is a news show on CNN/USA which airs at 10am Eastern time. ... Daryn Kagan Daryn A. Kagan (born January 26, 1963) is host of the United States news show CNN Live Today shown at 10 AM Eastern Time. ...

Hundreds of media, reporters, camera crews, satellite trucks and photographers descended on the small community, taking over yards and setting up camp outside the Sago Baptist Church and at the mine's coal processing plant. Officials had turned a small second-story room there into a make-shift briefing room for the media.

CNN, Fox News with Geraldo Rivera and MSNBC with Rita Cosby all broadcast live from Sago throughout the night of January 3 and early morning of January 4 as the story continually changed. Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... Geraldo Rivera on the Fox News Channel in 2004. ... MSNBC (a grammatical blend of MSN and NBC) is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States. ... Rita Cosby Rita Cosby (born November 18, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York) is a cable TV news personality at MSNBC, and is the host of Rita Cosby Live & Direct, which airs weeknights at 9 ET. She also serves the network as Special Correspondent. ...

Shortly before rumors started spreading that the miners were found alive Tuesday night (and then reversed Wednesday morning), a reporter there posted a description of the scene on his blog:

Sago Road, where the mine is, follows the Buckhannon River and a set of railroad tracks. When you arrive just outside the Sago Baptist church, where relatives and friends of the miners have gathered, you see cars. Everywhere, lining the roads, in people's yards, there are cars as far as you can see. Then, you see satellite trucks and TV crews and reporters and photographers. They're also everywhere and you can tell our presence, just under 24 hours at the time, is taking a toll on the small town and the little area we've taken over.

Miscommunication and wrong reports

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer as of 12:30am EST on January 4, 2006

About 11:50 p.m. on January 3, news services including the Associated Press and Reuters reported that 12 of the 13 miners had survived, attributing the reports of survivors to the family members. CNN.com and other websites sported headlines including "We Got 12 Alive!" as well as "Believe in Miracles: 12 Miners Found Alive." [15] Image File history File links Seattle-pi. ... Image File history File links Seattle-pi. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... Reuters Group plc LSE: RTR NASDAQ: RTRSY is best known as a news service that provides reports from around the world to newspapers and broadcasters. ... CNN.com is the news website maintained by CNN. The website debuted on August 30, 1995, and it describes itself as the first major news and information website on the Internet. ...

Gov. Manchin, who was in the church with the families when the first incorrect reports began to come in, was soon seen outside the church celebrating "a miracle." The governor later said that his staff never confirmed that there were survivors, but was euphoric along with the families at what seemed to be remarkable news.

Congresswoman Capito appeared on CNN about 1:00 a.m. and said 12 miners had been brought out alive. The Cable News Network, usually referred to as CNN, is a cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld [1] [2] (although the latter is not currently recognized in CNNs official history). ...

Lynette Roby being interviewed by CNN television journalist Anderson Cooper on January 4, 2006.

At about 2:45 a.m., Lynette Roby, a resident of Sago, and her two young children told CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper that Hatfield had just told family members in the church that a miscommunication had taken place and only one of the 13 miners had been found alive. The family members reportedly began to shout and call mine officials "liars" and at least one person in the church had "lunged" at mine officials. Image File history File links Lynetteroby. ... Image File history File links Lynetteroby. ... Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is a television journalist currently working for the CNN television network. ...

Hatfield confirmed the miscommunication at a press conference shortly thereafter. Initial information indicated that the miscommunication occurred between the rescue team in the mine and the command center at the surface. According to Hatfield, several personnel at the center were able to simultaneously hear the communications directly from the rescue team. Because of the state regulatory officials on site, both company and state officials, including representatives from the governor's office, were present at the command center. Hatfield estimated that 15-20 minutes elapsed before they learned that there was in fact a miscommunication.

"Bad information"

The CEO said he did not know how the reports of 12 survivors spread, and noted that ICG never officially made that statement, calling it "bad information" that "spread like wildfire." He said that the information could have been spread through "stray cell phone communication." "I have no idea who made that announcement," he said, "but it was not an announcement that International Coal Group had authorized."

Asked by reporters why the company allowed rumors to circulate for several hours, Hatfield said officials had been trying to clarify and verify information before putting family members on an even worse emotional rollercoaster. However, Fox correspondent Bill Hemmer said he was "ashamed" of how the media repeatedly reported the existence of survivors even as reporters and producers themselves were growing to understand that, in his words, "something didn't add up." Bill Hemmer (born November 14, 1964) is a journalist who spent 10 years at CNN before moving to the Fox News Channel in August 2005. ...

Hemmer noted that the coal company, which had been quite punctual in its dealings with the media throughout the rescue attempt, had not given any information to corroborate the allegations that 12 miners had been rescued, and that the always-available Manchin was nowhere to be found, yet the cable news channels continued to report the story anyway until doctors in a hospital many miles away stated that they had had no contact with emergency service personnel about any of the miners except for McCloy.

Speaking on MSNBC's Imus in the Morning program, Lisa Daniels speculated that erroneous reports about survivors on local radio stations were heard by mine officials, causing them to question the accuracy of their own information stating that 12 of the 13 were dead, which in turn delayed an official announcement. MSNBC (a grammatical blend of MSN and NBC) is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States. ... John Donald Imus, Jr. ... Lisa Daniels is a daytime anchor for MSNBC Live. ...

Article heading appearing at approximately 3am, January 4, 2006 on the New York Times website.

Image File history File links Nytimes_sago_mine2. ... Image File history File links Nytimes_sago_mine2. ...

Wrong headlines

Many Wednesday morning newspapers in the United States erroneously reported on their front pages that 12 miners were found alive. (pdf) USA Today ran a headline in their East Coast edition that read "'Alive!' Miners beat odds". The printed New York Times attributed their information to the family members, but the Times's website initially displayed an article heading that expressed the live rescue as fact (see screen capture at right). Others, such as the Washington Post, were unclear as to to whom they attributed their information.

In a published report on the website of the newspaper trade journal Editor & Publisher, the editor of The Inter-Mountain, a local afternoon daily based in Elkins, West Virginia blamed the national media's inaccurate reporting on a lack of knowledge of local culture. ""We get a lot of people here who sometimes believe they have an inside story because they hear it on a police scanner or listen to a conversation," [Linda] Skidmore said. "We know to be cautious of those situations."[16] Editor & Publisher (E&P) is a now-monthly journal covering the North American newspaper industry. ... The Inter-Mountain is an afternoon daily newspaper serving Central West Virginia and headquartered in Elkins. ... Elkins is a city located in Randolph County, West Virginia. ...

Media criticism of MSHA

Broader criticisms of how mine safety is handled by the federal government were also made in the aftermath of the disaster; such criticisms have been considered controversial by some.

Some have suggested that the severity of the accident's aftermath may have been related in part to inadequate safety standards endorsed by the MSHA under David Lauriski, a mining industry executive appointed to head the agency by George W. Bush [17]. Among other problems cited was the rejection of a proposed clarification of an existing standard, "Escapeways and Refuges," by Lauriski's administration, which requires that a mine "shall have two or more separate, properly maintained escapeways to the surface..." [18]. This suggestion was derided by a number of Bush supporters and conservative commentators, including columnist Michelle Malkin [19] and bloggers for the National Review [20], who claimed it was an attempt to blame Bush for the disaster; others disputed the question of whether or not safety standards and enforcement were indeed relaxed by the Bush administration [21]. Dave D. Lauriski is the United States Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, the head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... Michelle Malkin on Fox News discussing her book Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild Michelle Malkin (born October 20, 1970) is a widely read American columnist, blogger, author and political commentator. ... National Review (NR) is a conservative political magazine founded by author William F. Buckley, Jr. ...

A January 5 editorial in the New York Times [22] explicitly linked the safety conditions at the mine to the effects of "an industry with pervasive political clout and patronage inroads in government regulatory agencies." It noted that "political figures from both parties have long defended and profited from ties to the coal industry," and asserted that "the Bush administration's cramming of important posts in the Department of the Interior with biased operatives" created doubts about mine safety, singling out Steven Griles, a former mining lobbyist and onetime deputy secretary of the Interior who, the Times alleged "devoted four years to rolling back mine regulations." Federal responsibility for enforcing the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which governs the activities of the MSHA, was transfered from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Labor in 1978 [23]. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally-owned land. ... James Steven Griles (born December 13, 1947) is the Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Interior. ... Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ... The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally-owned land. ... The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. ...

A second editoral in the Times, on January 6 [24] discussed budget cuts to the MSHA and "the Bush administration's ... [appointment] of a raft of political appointees directly from energy corporations to critical regulatory posts" in the context of the disaster, suggesting that the Sago 12 "might have survived if government had lived up to its responsibilities." January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other commentators, including Kevin Drum, a blogger for the Washington Monthly [25], and Andrew Sullivan [26], also linked the presence of Republican-appointed coal mining executives in the MSHA to the tragedy. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Washington Monthly is a magazine based in Washington DC which covers American politics and government. ... Andrew Sullivan Andrew Sullivan (born August 10, 1963) is a British-American journalist, blogger and former editor of The New Republic, known both for his heterodox personal-political identity (HIV-positive, gay, libertarian and Roman Catholic) and for his pioneering efforts in the field of blog journalism. ...

Jack Spadaro, a former director of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy who was fired after participating as a whistleblower in a prior case involving the MSHA [27], made similar statements, referring to the "[current Bush administration's] reluctance to take the strong enforcement action that's sometimes necessary" in an appearance on the show Hannity and Colmes. Spadaro was criticized as "extreme left-wing" for his statements by host Sean Hannity [28]. A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power to take corrective action. ... Categories: Television stubs ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The MSHA, on a "Questions and Answers" page [29] regarding the incident, has strongly disputed many of these criticisms. In particular, the administration noted that the Sago mine was not an "accident waiting to happen" as the MSHA had never cited the mine for violations that would lead to "immediate risk of injury." It noted also that it had exercised its right to shut down various parts of the mine, eighteen times in 2005, until safety problems were corrected.

Most relevant to the criticisms discussed in this section, the MSHA explicitly disputed the suggestion that "MSHA has grown 'too soft' on mine operators and has not been aggressive enough in enforcing the Mine Act." It noted that between 2000 and 2005, the number of citations it had issued had increased by 4%, and the number of coal-mine specific citations had increased by 18%.

Dennis O'Dell, of the United Mine Workers of America union, disputed this response, suggesting that the fines MSHA handed to companies for these violations were too small to force action. A Knight Ridder "investigative report", published on January 7 and containing reference to the official MSHA response, concluded that "Since the Bush administration took office in 2001, it has been more lenient toward mining companies facing serious safety violations, issuing fewer and smaller major fines and collecting less than half of the money that violators owed." [30]. United Mine Workers of America seal The United Mine Workers (UMW or UMWA) is a United States labor union that represents workers in mining. ... Partial list of newspapers The following is a partial list of newspapers owned by Knight Ridder: Contra Costa Times Detroit Free Press Kansas City Star The Miami Herald Philadelphia Inquirer Saint Paul Pioneer Press San Jose Mercury News The State External link Knight Ridder corporate website Categories: Companies traded on... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Survivor Randal L. McCloy Jr.

More information about Randal McCloy's rescue and ongoing treatment is at Randal McCloy.

Randal L. McCloy Jr., 26, was the only survivor from those trapped at the Sago mine. He was removed from the mine at approximately 1:30 a.m. on January 4, and transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in Buckhannon, West Virginia. After being stabilized there, McCloy was transported by ambulance later that morning to a level 1 trauma center at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital, 50 miles away in Morgantown. He was found to be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, a collapsed lung, brain hemorrhaging and edema, muscle injury, faulty liver and heart function. Randal McCloy, Jr. ... Buckhannon is a city located in Upshur County, West Virginia along the Buckhannon River. ... A trauma center is a hospital equipped to perform as a casualty receiving station for the emergency medical services by providing the best possible medical care for traumatic injuries on a 24 hour, 7 days per week, 365 days per year basis. ... West Virginia University WVU Mountaineer Mascot statue in front of the Mountainlair Student Union. ... Morgantown is the name of several places in the United States of America: Morgantown, Indiana Morgantown, Kentucky Morgantown, Pennsylvania Morgantown, West Virginia (Not to be confused with Morganton, also found as a place name: Morganton, Georgia Morganton, North Carolina) There are also places named Morgan and Morganville. ...

McCloy was transferred to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on the evening of January 5, to receive infusions of oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber to counteract the effects of carbon monoxide. On January 7, he returned to Ruby Memorial Hospital where he remained in a coma. On January 18, doctors reported McCloy was showing signs of gradual awakening.. [31] Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen at a higher than atmospheric pressure. ...

Victims

Identities

Of the thirteen miners, Randal L. McCloy Jr. (age 26) was the only survivor. The remaining twelve did not survive: Randal McCloy, Jr. ...

• Thomas "Tom" Paul Anderson, age 39 [32]
• Alva Martin "Marty" Bennett, age 51[33]
• James A. "Jim" Bennett, age 61 (shuttle car operator)[34]
• Jerry Lee Groves, age 56 [35]
• George Junior Hamner, age 54 [36]
• Terry Helms, age 50
• Jesse L. Jones, age 44 [37]
• David Lewis, age 28
• Martin Toler Jr. age 51 (mine foreman)
• Fred G. "Bear" Ware Jr., age 58 [38]
• Jack Weaver, age 51
• Marshall Winans, age 50 [39]

Farewell notes left to families

Family members reported that at least four notes were found.

• Martin Toler Jr.: “Tell all I see them on the other side. It wasn’t bad. I just went to sleep. I love you Jr.’’

A photograph of the note was published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on January 6, 2006. [40]

• Jim Bennett:

Bennett left a note which wasn't shared with the media. His daughter, Ann Meredith, said that in addition to expressions of love for his wife and children, Bennett's note contained a timeline of ten hours duration. "Later on down the note, he said that it was getting dark. It was getting smoky. They were losing air." [41]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the PG, is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Funerals and memorial services

Private funerals for the twelve deceased miners were held on January 8, 9 and 10, 2006. A public memorial service was held on January 15 for all twelve at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. More than 2,000 attended the service, which was televised live on CNN. Among the speakers were Governor Joe Manchin and author and West Virgina native Homer Hickam. Both of West Virginia's U.S. senators, Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, and Rep. Capito also attended, but did not speak. Underwater funeral in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea A funeral is a ceremony marking a persons death. ... West Virginia Wesleyan College is a small college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. ... Buckhannon is a city located in Upshur County, West Virginia along the Buckhannon River. ... Homer Hickam and his wife Linda circa 2004 Homer Hadley Hickam, Jr. ... Robert C. Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20, 1917) is a West Virginia Democrat serving in the United States Senate. ... John Davison Rockefeller IV (born June 18, 1937), generally known as Jay Rockefeller, has served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from West Virginia since 1985. ...

Fred Phelps, an anti-gay minister from Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, best known for protesting at the funerals of Matthew Shepherd, Mister Rogers, and soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, had previously announced he would protest at the service. [42]. Fewer than 20 of his representatives participated in a demonstration across the West Virginia Wesleyan College campus from the church. A larger anti-Phelps group gathered to protest their presence. There was no reported confrontation between the two groups. [43] Fred Phelps, c. ... Homophobia is a term used to describe: A culturally determined phobia manifesting as fear, revulsion, or contempt for desire or physical love between people of the same sex. ... Members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketing a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma Westboro Baptist Church is an organisation based in Topeka, Kansas, headed by minister Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. ... Motto: Nickname: Founded Incorporated December 5, 1854 February 14, 1857  County Shawnee County Borough Parrish Mayor Bill Bunten Area  - Total  - Water 147. ... Matthew Wayne Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was an American student at the University of Wyoming, who was murdered by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney near Laramie, Wyoming on the night of October 6–October 7. ... Frederick McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 - February 27, 2003) was the host of the internationally acclaimed childrens television show Mister Rogers Neighborhood (1968-2001). ...

See also

• Mining accident
• Quecreek Mine Rescue (July 2002)

• MSHA page on incident continues to be updated and now contains a PowerPoint Presentation depicting the chronology of events and documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act
• MSHA Data Retrieval System - Mine Identification Number (ID) #4608791
• Federal Mine Safety and health Act of 1977
• Transcending Death at Sago
• United States Mine Rescuers Association page on Sago

A mining accident is a dangerous and often deadly accident that occurs in the process of mining minerals from underneath the surface of the planet. ... Randall Fogle being pulled out of the Quecreek Mine. ...

References

• ^  Go to [44] and use "4608791" for the mine ID number.
• ABC News; January 3, 2006 Rescuers Break Ground in Miner Mission.
• Associated Press; January 5, 2006 The Victims. The New York Times.
• Barnes, Jonathan; January 5, 2006 West Virginia mine rescue makes slow progress, Reuters.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 3, 2006 Hopes fade for trapped US miners.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 Last push to save trapped miners.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 'Miraculous' rescue for US miners.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 Only one US miner reported alive.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 US mine 'rescue' turns to tragedy.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 Fury over US mine 'rescue' fiasco.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 Mine families' anger at 'lies'.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 4, 2006 West Virginia's devastated community.
• BBC News and Current Affairs; January 6, 2006 Crucial hours for mine survivor.
• Bowling, Brian and Conti, David; January 2, 2006 Condition of trapped miners in West Virginia unknown. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
• Breed, Allen; January 4, 2006 Families Say 11 of 12 W.Va. Miners Dead. Associated Press.
• Breed, Allen; January 4, 2006 Families Say 12 W.Va. Miners Found Alive. Associated Press.
• The Republican Mine Disaster: Blood on their Hands
• CNN.com; January 2, 2006 Rescue teams creep toward trapped coal miners.
• CNN.com; January 4, 2006 Family members say 12 miners found alive.
• CNN.com; January 4, 2006 'Believe in miracles': 12 miners found alive.
• CNN.com; January 4, 2006 Grief, anger as all but one miner found dead.
• CNN.com; January 4, 2006 Profiles: Tallmansville miners.
• CNN.com; January 4, 2006 Quecreek 'miracle' offered Sago families false hope
• CNN.com; January 5, 2006 Relative: Trapped miners left notes
• CNN.com. January 18, 2006 Doctor: Sago survivor awakening from coma
• Dao, James; January 3, 2006 Blast Traps 13 in a Coal Mine in West Virginia. The New York Times.
• Duke, Armando; January 2, 2006 Explosion at W. VA Coal Mine Traps Workers. AXcessNews.com.
• Finn, Scott; January 16, 2006 'They’re West Virginians' State celebrates lives of 12 fallen miners. The Charleston Gazette.
• Freeman, Simon and Agencies; January 4, 2006 Turmoil for miners' families after disaster yields sole survivor. Times Online.
• Gustafson, Dave; January 4, 2006 Only 1 survives: Family members had thought for 3 hours that 12 were alive. The Charleston Gazette.
• Kiehl, Stephen; January 4, 2006 12 confirmed dead in W.Va. mine blast. The Baltimore Sun.
• Messina, Lawrence; January 2, 2006 Coal mine reports spate of citations. Associated Press.
• Peterson, Jonathan and Braun, Stephen; January 4, 2006 First Joyful News, Then a Tragedy About Miners. Los Angeles Times.
• Smith, Vicki; January 3, 2006 Families Are Told Body Found in W.Va. Mine. Associated Press.
• Staff Reports; January 4, 2006 SINGLE MINER SURVIVES EXPLOSION. The Record Delta Online (Upshur County, WV publication).
• Tyson, Ann Scott and Vedantam, Shankar; January 3, 2006 W. Va. Mine Explosion Traps 13. Washington Post.
• Tyson, Ann Scott and Barbash, Fred; January 4, 2006 12 Found Dead in W.Va. Coal Mine. Washington Post.
• Ward, Ken Jr.; January 3, 2006 Sago mine has history of roof falls. The Charleston Gazette.
• Yates, Jennifer; January 3, 2006 Company discouraged by air quality where 13 coal miners trapped, Associated Press.
• McLachlan, Justin; January 3, 2006 West Virginia mine explosion, my time there
• Hate Church To Protest At Sago Services
• Hate group changes plans, opposition offers tips for community