http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/02/mine.e ... index.html

(CNN) -- Rescuers were working Monday to free 12 miners trapped more than a mile underground after a coal mine explosion in West Virginia, officials said.

The blast was reported shortly before 8 a.m. ET, about eight miles south of Buckhannon near Tallmansville in Upshur County, said Louise Bleith, operations supervisor at the county's 911 center.

"Six came out," Bleith said. None of those who exited the mine required medical treatment, she said. (Watch what's being done to help trapped miners -- 1:28)

Twelve were still inside, said Steve Milligan, deputy director of the county's office of emergency management.

"Four miners went back in and they came upon a wall of debris, and they have not been able to contact the miners," he said. A rescue crew from Kingwood, West Virginia, equipped with breathing apparatus and equipment to bore a hole through the debris, was preparing to enter the mine, he said. "It's probably going to be a long, involved process," he said. Noting that there has been no communication with the trapped workers, he said, "There's no indication at this point whether they are alive or not."

Milligan identified the location as the Sago Mine, owned by the International Coal Group, an energy-consulting firm.

The miners, he said, were trapped 5,800 feet below the surface. (Map)

A rescue team made up of federal and state mine safety workers was on site, as were local fire, police and emergency medical service workers.

"It's probably going to be a long, involved process," he said. Noting that there has been no communication with the trapped workers, he said, "There's no indication at this point whether they are alive or not."

"There was some type of explosion either heard or felt by the miners attempting to go in the mine for a shift change," The Associated Press quoted Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, as saying. "They then backtracked out of the mine."

Milligan said the explosion was likely caused by methane gas. "I know they're sucking the bad air out; not sure if they're blowing fresh air in," he said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, 14 underground fatalities occurred among miners in 2004, the last year for which data were available.

International Coal Group was formed in May 2004 when business entrepreneur Wilbur Ross Jr. led a group that bought many of the assets of Horizon Natural Resources in a bankruptcy auction.

Last March, ICG bought Anker, which previously owned Sago. ICG has mining operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland.

In February 2003, three contract workers were killed by a methane explosion while drilling an air shaft at a Consol Energy Mine near Cameron, West Virginia, according to AP. The state ended 2005 with three mining fatalities, the lowest since 2000, AP reported.

In July 2002, nine miners were rescued after being trapped for 77 hours in a mine near Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Let's hope everbody in there comes out alright.

This is where I grew up so I am waiting to hear about this on the evening news

That is where my family is moving so i hope all is well. From what i've read it is 13 miners, not 12. But good luck to those involved.

I got a sinking feeling in my stomach when I saw this headline this morning. A close friend of mine (grew up with the dude) is currently a miner in the southern part of the state so my first thought when I saw this was that it might have happened down there. Thankfully it didn't but my heart goes out to those guys, hopefully they get out of there alright.

Mining is such a dangerous and fucked up job to begin with. Next time I talk to my friend I'm going to bring this up. The guy is one semester away from a nursing degree and is risking his life in the mines.

I just talked to my mother and the local town rumor mill does not paint a pretty picture. I have a neighbor who worked at that mine for about a month and he said it was the most dangerous place he had ever worked and that he will do anything not to have to go back there. They said on the CBS news tonight that this place had about 46 write-ups for bad safety since october? So yeah its dangerous work, then add in a little disaster like this.

Do you folks have any idea how fucking scary that must be? I think I have some kind of idea, and it doesn't sound like fun.

i dont think that scariness is even a question. These guys if alive are probably hurt, and in the dark and wondering if anyone is even coming to rescue them. I cant think of a scarier situation

What the hell were 12 kids doing down in there?

Are you sure you're not mixing this up w/ the German Ice Rink collapse?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060103/ap_ ... f_collapse

No, west virginia(mountain momma). ...i'm shocked that those kids were allowed down there without adult supervision

STFU.

It's not looking good right now, but there is still hope.

If you must know...I made an offensive sexual "joke" about this story. My bad.

I guess you know your hometown is in trouble when fucking ANderson Cooper shows up. The Upshur County is in such an upheaval, that they have cancelled all the schools today.

It's sad that the only time there is ever any news out of West Virginia, it's from something really bad. Then jackasses try to be funny making fun of the people.

you and Kentucky should hang out and have a pity-party

on a side note... is he gay?... my dad said he was... just wondering...







"not that there's anything wrong with that"

I do not understand how people could be so insensitive about this. There is a small community that has been turned upside down. I know where I live, an accident that leads to one death is huge. Something that could take the lives of 13 people is very tragic for the area. Regardless of the fact there are many families and friends affected, we have had one troll in this thread being a jerk as well as another thread that was created making an offensive joke about this. The fact is they were not necessary and do nothing but degrade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_Cooper

Sexual orientation

Some in the gay community believe that Cooper's sexual orientation is an "open-secret" and want him to publicly 'come out'. It has been further claimed, e.g. on blogACTIVE, that discussion of Cooper's sexuality is increasingly seen as a liability to his career and so is no longer acknowledged; "his handlers at CNN [are] known to call sites and ask editors to delete references to Anderson Cooper being gay." Blogger Andy Towle referred to Cooper as "the most openly closeted gay man in America" after reading a New York Magazine article which reported on the matter as follows:
There has been a lot of chatter on the Internet about the fact that Cooper may or may not be gay, and Village Voice columnist Michael Musto has taken pleasure in quoting the gay magazine Metrosource, which has referred to Cooper as “the openly gay news anchor.” It has been assumed in certain circles in New York partly because he lives what looks to some to be a gay social life. He’s often seen at parties with Barry Diller, and he's friends with the lead singer from the outré gay rock band the Scissor Sisters. And then there was the tempest in a teapot regarding a slightly heated interview last fall with Jerry Falwell about gay marriage. Some Cooper-obsessed bloggers insist that the anchor outed himself on the air, taking the gay side of the debate and saying, "We pay taxes." They claim CNN originally posted a transcript with the "we" and then later changed it to “You pay taxes.” Cooper has maintained all along that he said "you." When I bring up the sexuality issue with Cooper, he says, "You know, I understand why people might be interested. But I just don’t talk about my personal life. It’s a decision I made a long time ago, before I ever even knew anyone would be interested in my personal life. The whole thing about being a reporter is that you're supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you’re in, and I don’t want to do anything that threatens that."