12 Trapped Miners in West Virginia discussion - Page 10

nychief · 10:01 AM

Grief, anger as all but one miner found dead
Initial reports indicated 12 had survived

Wednesday, January 4, 2006; Posted: 10:25 a.m. EST (15:25 GMT)
TALLMANSVILLE, West Virginia (CNN) -- For three hours overnight, families of a dozen trapped West Virginia miners thought their loved ones were coming home as church bells rang to welcome them.

But by 3 a.m. Wednesday -- as one critically ill survivor was rushed to a hospital -- families learned that their thankful jubilation was premature.

There had been a tragic "miscommunication," said mine company chief Ben Hatfield. Twelve of the 13 trapped miners had not made it. They were dead. (Watch angry relatives react -- 3:21)

Anna Casto, who lost her cousin, angrily disagreed with Hatfield's use of the term "miscommunication."

"No, he strictly told us they was alive," Casto said. "Three hours later he come back and said they wasn't."

"We want to know why, and how people can get by with this," she said.

"I just want that immediate family to get some kind of satisfaction, to get some kind of answers." (Full story)

Casto said the tragedy has shaken the faith of some in the community. "We have got some of us ... saying... that we don't even know if there is a Lord anymore," she said. "We had a miracle, and it was taken away from us."
3-hour delay

# 11:53 p.m. -- Church bells ring as reports first indicate that 12 miners have been found alive.

# 2:14 a.m. -- A man is rescued and taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition after being trapped underground for nearly 40 hours.

# 2:44 a.m. -- Miners' relatives say they had been told all but one of the miners were dead.

# 3:11 a.m. -- Hatfield, president and CEO of International Coal Group, which owns the Sago Mine, announces that despite previous reports, only one survivor was found in the mine. (Timeline)

Hatfield called it the "worst day of my life."
Critical condition

The sole survivor, Randal McCloy, 27, was in critical condition in intensive care Wednesday at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.

"He suffered some collapse of one of his lungs," said Dr. Larry Roberts. "And we're trying to reopen that and there's good progress there."

Roberts said McCloy was sedated and attached to a breathing tube, but was moving and responding to stimuli.

"We hope that we will try to awaken him later today or tomorrow," the doctor said.
'Who do we tell?'

Hatfield said he knew within 20 minutes that an error had been made and that not all 12 were alive, but said he did not inform jubilant family members.

"We couldn't correct the information without knowing more about it," he told reporters. "Let's put this in perspective -- who do we tell not to celebrate? All I knew is, there weren't 12 people that were alive. It was somewhere between 12 and zero."

Hatfield said he understood family members' anger.

"I'm not surprised or upset with them. They certainly have some basis for their frustration, having been put through this emotional roller-coaster. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Hatfield said the miscommunication occurred between rescue crews and the command center, causing the earlier erroneous reports. (Watch the CEO's grim announcement -- 9:00)
Miners were alive after accident

Hatfield said it was apparent that the miners, who were found 13,000 feet into the mine, remained alive for a period of time following the explosion. They had built a "rough barricade structure," he said, and had donned their self-contained breathing apparatuses. The apparatuses held one hour of oxygen; Hatfield said he had no way of knowing how long the miners were alive.

The rescue team that found the miners was speaking to the command center over mine communication system on an open speaker audible to a number of people, Hatfield said. He noted the company made no formal announcement that the 12 were alive, but said he would not single out any rescuers, as they were trying to save the miners' lives.

"The honest answer is, we were devastated," he said. "It's sorrow beyond belief ... Welcome to the worst day of my life."
'Some wrong communications'

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin -- who flashed a thumbs-up on the steps of the church and said, "believe in miracles," after hearing the initial report that the 12 were alive -- called the situation "heart-wrenching." (Watch Gov. Manchin explain what may have caused the miscommunication -- 3:44)

He said he was in another room of the church with some family members when "we heard families in a euphoric state, and all the shouting and screaming and joyfulness." He asked what was happening, he said, and was told, "They found them. They're alive."

Manchin said he asked his communications people if they had confirmed that information, and they said no. But he was caught in the sea of jubilant relatives streaming out of the church, and the church bells began ringing, he said. He said he was "in a euphoric state, the same as they are."

It was about 20 minutes later, he said, when he also became aware of "some wrong communications." The delay in informing relatives, he said, came because officials were trying to get accurate information instead of adding to the confusion. He said he understood the family's pain, as his own uncle died in a 1968 mine accident.

"To put blame on anybody -- it's the wrong time, the wrong place," Manchin said. "Everybody has worked so hard. The rescue teams have worked around the clock. They've come from all over the country."

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

So, someone posted using your account at 3:03am today?

No that was me. And it was approximately 41 hours after the tragedgy first occured.

**Donger** · 01-04-2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

No that was me. And it was approximately 41 hours after the tragedgy first occured.

And right about the time that you learned that all but one had died, yes?

KCTitus · 01-04-2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taco John

I do know that Rush Limbaugh was practically giddy all day today. He sounds like he won a prize or something out of this. Ah the state of politics in America.

He was giddy about 12 miners dying? You've got to be kidding...that's beyond unconscionable.

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

and the media caught wind of it....

and reported the rumors as facts. That was their mistake.

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

And right about the time that you learned that all but one had died, yes?

2+ hours after they reported the 12 had died.

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCTitus

He was giddy about 12 miners dying? You've got to be kidding...that's beyond unconscionable.

Probably giddy in the same way Donger was when he tried to smear me on this thread.

tk13 · 01-04-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

No, the governor was among the famillies and when the "party" broke out because of the back-channel (cell phone) annoucement was made by family members in the church. He left immediately to go up to confirm what the families had heard and were celebrating. He didn't "say" anything about it.

He gave the thumbs up and was quoted in USA Today, was he not?

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

He gave the thumbs up and was quoted in USA Today, was he not?

What was his quote?

KCTitus · 01-04-2006, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

Probably giddy in the same way Donger was when he tried to smear me on this thread.

Donger didnt need to do anything...you did it all yourself.

tk13 · 01-04-2006, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

What was his quote?

Twelve US coal miners trapped for more than 40 hours underground have been found alive a few hours after a body was pulled from a tunnel full of poisonous gas, West Virginia Governor, Joe Manchin announced.

"They told us they have 12 alive," Manchin, giving the thumbs-up sign, told family members of the trapped miners as he left the Sago Baptist Church where they were gathered since a blast in a tunnel trapped the 13 miners Monday morning.

"We have some people that are going to need medical attention," the governor said shortly before ambulances were seen leaving the mine entrance, apparently taking injured miners to local hospitals.

Eleazar · 01-04-2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

No, it was the other way around. The governor was in the church with the people when they started saying 12 are alive and celebrated with the families... and the media caught wind of it....

What was said on the radio this morning was that someone who worked in the mine and was familiar with the rescue situation was calling some family member with inside info - unauthorized - from conversations he was overhearing in the 'command center'. The story was that this individual made a mistake in reporting to the family that the miners had been found alive when in reality, they had been found but personnel were on their way to check vital signs and evaluate them. So when this person prematurely called a family member, they erroneously reported what they thought they had overheard, and the governor got his information from one of these family members.

That's the version I heard, anyway, no warranty, could be right or wrong or erroneous in my recollection.

**Donger** · 01-04-2006, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

2+ hours after they reported the 12 had died.

Thank you. Sorry, I suppose that we just disagree, but I find it amazing that after that amount of time, you could say something like "I've lost any sympathy I had" for the relatives.

**Donger** · 01-04-2006, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

Probably giddy in the same way Donger was when he tried to smear me on this thread.

Me thinks jAZ doth protest too much.

You smeared yourself.

memyselfI · 01-04-2006, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cochise

What was said on the radio this morning was that someone who worked in the mine and was familiar with the rescue situation was calling some family member with inside info - unauthorized - from conversations he was overhearing in the 'command center'. The story was that this individual made a mistake in reporting to the family that the miners had been found alive when in reality, they had been found but personnel were on their way to check vital signs and evaluate them. So when this person prematurely called a family member, they erroneously reported what they thought they had overheard, and the governor got his information from one of these family members.

That's the version I heard, anyway, no warranty, could be right or wrong or erroneous in my recollection.

That is what I heard on the radio and CNN this morning.

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

Twelve US coal miners trapped for more than 40 hours underground have been found alive a few hours after a body was pulled from a tunnel full of poisonous gas, West Virginia Governor, Joe Manchin announced.

"They told us they have 12 alive," Manchin, giving the thumbs-up sign, told family members of the trapped miners as he left the Sago Baptist Church where they were gathered since a blast in a tunnel trapped the 13 miners Monday morning.

"We have some people that are going to need medical attention," the governor said shortly before ambulances were seen leaving the mine entrance, apparently taking injured miners to local hospitals.

Yeah, that was a bad idea on his part.

His information was 2nd hand (not official). He should have said nothing and confirmed it himself (or his people).

There are only 4 parties that have a responsibility to get the information correct.

1) The rescuers
2) The company
3) The governor
4) The media

It seems that in one way or another they each failed to uphold that responsibilty.

01-03-2006, 10:59 PM
nychief MVP Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NYC Casino cash: $6899466	Death Toll Reaches 12 in West Virginia Mining Disaster Grief, anger as all but one miner found dead Initial reports indicated 12 had survived Wednesday, January 4, 2006; Posted: 10:25 a.m. EST (15:25 GMT) TALLMANSVILLE, West Virginia (CNN) -- For three hours overnight, families of a dozen trapped West Virginia miners thought their loved ones were coming home as church bells rang to welcome them. But by 3 a.m. Wednesday -- as one critically ill survivor was rushed to a hospital -- families learned that their thankful jubilation was premature. There had been a tragic "miscommunication," said mine company chief Ben Hatfield. Twelve of the 13 trapped miners had not made it. They were dead. (Watch angry relatives react -- 3:21) Anna Casto, who lost her cousin, angrily disagreed with Hatfield's use of the term "miscommunication." "No, he strictly told us they was alive," Casto said. "Three hours later he come back and said they wasn't." "We want to know why, and how people can get by with this," she said. "I just want that immediate family to get some kind of satisfaction, to get some kind of answers." (Full story) Casto said the tragedy has shaken the faith of some in the community. "We have got some of us ... saying... that we don't even know if there is a Lord anymore," she said. "We had a miracle, and it was taken away from us." 3-hour delay # 11:53 p.m. -- Church bells ring as reports first indicate that 12 miners have been found alive. # 2:14 a.m. -- A man is rescued and taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition after being trapped underground for nearly 40 hours. # 2:44 a.m. -- Miners' relatives say they had been told all but one of the miners were dead. # 3:11 a.m. -- Hatfield, president and CEO of International Coal Group, which owns the Sago Mine, announces that despite previous reports, only one survivor was found in the mine. (Timeline) Hatfield called it the "worst day of my life." Critical condition The sole survivor, Randal McCloy, 27, was in critical condition in intensive care Wednesday at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. "He suffered some collapse of one of his lungs," said Dr. Larry Roberts. "And we're trying to reopen that and there's good progress there." Roberts said McCloy was sedated and attached to a breathing tube, but was moving and responding to stimuli. "We hope that we will try to awaken him later today or tomorrow," the doctor said. 'Who do we tell?' Hatfield said he knew within 20 minutes that an error had been made and that not all 12 were alive, but said he did not inform jubilant family members. "We couldn't correct the information without knowing more about it," he told reporters. "Let's put this in perspective -- who do we tell not to celebrate? All I knew is, there weren't 12 people that were alive. It was somewhere between 12 and zero." Hatfield said he understood family members' anger. "I'm not surprised or upset with them. They certainly have some basis for their frustration, having been put through this emotional roller-coaster. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Hatfield said the miscommunication occurred between rescue crews and the command center, causing the earlier erroneous reports. (Watch the CEO's grim announcement -- 9:00) Miners were alive after accident Hatfield said it was apparent that the miners, who were found 13,000 feet into the mine, remained alive for a period of time following the explosion. They had built a "rough barricade structure," he said, and had donned their self-contained breathing apparatuses. The apparatuses held one hour of oxygen; Hatfield said he had no way of knowing how long the miners were alive. The rescue team that found the miners was speaking to the command center over mine communication system on an open speaker audible to a number of people, Hatfield said. He noted the company made no formal announcement that the 12 were alive, but said he would not single out any rescuers, as they were trying to save the miners' lives. "The honest answer is, we were devastated," he said. "It's sorrow beyond belief ... Welcome to the worst day of my life." 'Some wrong communications' West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin -- who flashed a thumbs-up on the steps of the church and said, "believe in miracles," after hearing the initial report that the 12 were alive -- called the situation "heart-wrenching." (Watch Gov. Manchin explain what may have caused the miscommunication -- 3:44) He said he was in another room of the church with some family members when "we heard families in a euphoric state, and all the shouting and screaming and joyfulness." He asked what was happening, he said, and was told, "They found them. They're alive." Manchin said he asked his communications people if they had confirmed that information, and they said no. But he was caught in the sea of jubilant relatives streaming out of the church, and the church bells began ringing, he said. He said he was "in a euphoric state, the same as they are." It was about 20 minutes later, he said, when he also became aware of "some wrong communications." The delay in informing relatives, he said, came because officials were trying to get accurate information instead of adding to the confusion. He said he understood the family's pain, as his own uncle died in a 1968 mine accident. "To put blame on anybody -- it's the wrong time, the wrong place," Manchin said. "Everybody has worked so hard. The rescue teams have worked around the clock. They've come from all over the country." Last edited by nychief; 01-04-2006 at 10:01 AM..
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