12 Trapped Miners in West Virginia discussion - Page 3

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."

Ultra Peanut · 01-04-2006, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

CNN is reporting there's only 1 actual survivor... I can't believe this....

This is some serious ****ing, "HOLY SHIT."

tk13 · 01-04-2006, 02:00 AM

Yeah, I thought everything was great and turned it, I was just flipping back through the channels and Anderson Cooper looked like a train hit him and he was just saying that they were now learning that they are all dead. I don't even know how the mine officials made that mistake... even the governor gave the thumbs up earlier....

listopencil · 01-04-2006, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk13

CNN is reporting there's only 1 actual survivor... I can't believe this....

I bet he ate the other ones.

**chefsos** · 01-04-2006, 02:12 AM

Damn. Damn. Man, the shit those poor families must be going through. They must be damn near insane now. How the hell could this info get fucked up so badly?

tk13 · 01-04-2006, 02:17 AM

I guess it's kinda like the whole elementary school game of telephone... pass a secret around the room and see how much it mutates in the process. One of the rescue workers said 12 were alive and that got passed through cell phone communication I guess... that's what the president of the mine corporation says. That's why it took the mine so long to actually hold a press conference, they didn't have confirmation of things until now....

Chiefs Pantalones · 01-04-2006, 02:19 AM

Communication gone horribly wrong.

**chefsos** · 01-04-2006, 02:58 AM

12 Found Dead in W.Va. Coal Mine

By Ann Scott Tyson and Fred Barbash
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 4, 2006; 3:18 AM

SAGO, W.Va., Jan. 4 -- Stunned and weeping family members were told early Wednesday morning that 12 of the 13 miners trapped 12,000 feet into a mountainside since early Monday were found dead.

They were given the news about 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, just a few hours after being led to believe that all but one of the men were alive. Company officials confirmed the deaths at 3:06 a.m. and said a "miscommunication" stemming from an overheard cellphone conversation resulted in the spreading of the original information--that 12 were alive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...010400247.html

The cruel bitch of all this is that Wednesday's print papers are going to trumpet the news that they were found alive.

tk13 · 01-04-2006, 03:11 AM

Yep, on CNN they just showed a copy of USA Today. Great big print. "12 Miners found alive!"

Something like that anyway...

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefsos

Damn. Damn. Man, the shit those poor families must be going through. They must be damn near insane now. How the hell could this info get fucked up so badly?

They are, and they are actiing irrationally. They are fuming and keep talking about "lying" and how the company lied to them.

There were 3 women being interviewed on CNN.

They didn't seem to have a rational thought between the 3 of them. All emotion, and all worked up. I'm sure they were emotionally raw.

The media guy tried to explain that it was a "miscommunication", and they all flatly refused him saying that there was no room for "miscommunictaion".

They either didn't understand or refused to hear that the miscommunication wasn't on their part but between the rescuers and the command center.

It was frustrating to watch because I really lost sympathy for them as a result of the interview. They weren't hearing the details though their outrage. That's understable, but it also pissed me off that the CNN guy seemed to try and feed that outrage rather than try to clarify the details and bring down their (misplaced) anger.

It's a crappy situation and I imagine that all the people involved are victim to some crappy circumstances. Obviously the families end up suffering the most, by far.

**jAZ** · 01-04-2006, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefsos

How the hell could this info get fucked up so badly?

From the press conference, it sounds like the rescuers reported arriving at the scene and finding 12 survivors (or that's what the command center heard from them). It turns out that they were trying to say they found the 12 miners (not necessarily that they were all alive).

Apparently the radio in the command center is one that fills the room so everyone heard the report and someone called family or something unoffically reporting the news. Someone those unoffical reports got back to the church (by family members on cell phones supposedly).

The reports at the church actaully came from the families themselves and not from the company or the governor.

That's what's been reported anyway.

VonneMarie · 01-04-2006, 06:28 AM

Some one is going to pay for this shit. God, that's horrible.

**Bob Dole** · 01-04-2006, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

They are, and they are actiing irrationally. They are fuming and keep talking about "lying" and how the company lied to them.

Obviously the company lied, not expecting that the families would eventually learn the truth...

It's a messed up deal, but if people feel the need to play the blame game, they need to focus on the disaster itself and not a collateral event like miscommunication about survivors.

RedDread · 01-04-2006, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

Obviously the company lied, not expecting that the families would eventually learn the truth...

It's a messed up deal, but if people feel the need to play the blame game, they need to focus on the disaster itself and not a collateral event like miscommunication about survivors.

You win this thread.

jjjayb · 01-04-2006, 07:14 AM

Bush Lied, Miners Died.

**Baby Lee** · 01-04-2006, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jAZ

They are, and they are actiing irrationally. They are fuming and keep talking about "lying" and how the company lied to them.

There were 3 women being interviewed on CNN.

They didn't seem to have a rational thought between the 3 of them. All emotion, and all worked up. I'm sure they were emotionally raw.

The media guy tried to explain that it was a "miscommunication", and they all flatly refused him saying that there was no room for "miscommunictaion".

They either didn't understand or refused to hear that the miscommunication wasn't on their part but between the rescuers and the command center.

It was frustrating to watch because I really lost sympathy for them as a result of the interview. They weren't hearing the details though their outrage. That's understable, but it also pissed me off that the CNN guy seemed to try and feed that outrage rather than try to clarify the details and bring down their (misplaced) anger.

It's a crappy situation and I imagine that all the people involved are victim to some crappy circumstances. Obviously the families end up suffering the most, by far.

If they didn't out and out lie, they at the very least sure cherry picked their intelligence.

01-03-2006, 10:59 PM
nychief MVP Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NYC Casino cash: $7169466	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..
Posts: 7,856

01-04-2006, 02:00 AM	#32
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2002500	Yeah, I thought everything was great and turned it, I was just flipping back through the channels and Anderson Cooper looked like a train hit him and he was just saying that they were now learning that they are all dead. I don't even know how the mine officials made that mistake... even the governor gave the thumbs up earlier....
Posts: 54,929

01-04-2006, 02:12 AM	#34
chefsos Fifty eight sixty two... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Felton, DE Casino cash: $8507676	Damn. Damn. Man, the shit those poor families must be going through. They must be damn near insane now. How the hell could this info get fucked up so badly?
Posts: 9,449

01-04-2006, 02:17 AM	#35
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2002500	I guess it's kinda like the whole elementary school game of telephone... pass a secret around the room and see how much it mutates in the process. One of the rescue workers said 12 were alive and that got passed through cell phone communication I guess... that's what the president of the mine corporation says. That's why it took the mine so long to actually hold a press conference, they didn't have confirmation of things until now....
Posts: 54,929

01-04-2006, 02:19 AM	#36
Chiefs Pantalones GO CHIEFS!!!!!! Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $7918717	Communication gone horribly wrong. __________________ Don't be fooled by my username, I'm white.
Posts: 26,630

01-04-2006, 02:58 AM	#37
chefsos Fifty eight sixty two... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Felton, DE Casino cash: $8507676	12 Found Dead in W.Va. Coal Mine By Ann Scott Tyson and Fred Barbash Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, January 4, 2006; 3:18 AM SAGO, W.Va., Jan. 4 -- Stunned and weeping family members were told early Wednesday morning that 12 of the 13 miners trapped 12,000 feet into a mountainside since early Monday were found dead. They were given the news about 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, just a few hours after being led to believe that all but one of the men were alive. Company officials confirmed the deaths at 3:06 a.m. and said a "miscommunication" stemming from an overheard cellphone conversation resulted in the spreading of the original information--that 12 were alive. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...010400247.html The cruel bitch of all this is that Wednesday's print papers are going to trumpet the news that they were found alive.
Posts: 9,449

01-04-2006, 03:11 AM	#38
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2002500	Yep, on CNN they just showed a copy of USA Today. Great big print. "12 Miners found alive!" Something like that anyway...
Posts: 54,929

01-04-2006, 06:28 AM	#41
VonneMarie Don't look over here Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Kansas City, MO Casino cash: $10008987	Some one is going to pay for this shit. God, that's horrible.
Posts: 17,644

01-04-2006, 07:14 AM	#44
jjjayb MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Back in K.C. baby!!!! Casino cash: $6163433	Bush Lied, Miners Died.
Posts: 7,013