Posted on 01/04/2006 8:43:05 AM PST by beyond the sea
TALLMANSVILLE, United States (AFP) - Relatives of 13 coal miners trapped for nearly two days underground reacted in anger and sorrow after hearing that only one had survived, and not 12, as had erroneously been announced earlier.
Families keeping vigil at a church had broken into hymns when they heard that the 12 men had survived. Three hours later, their jubilation turned into grief when they were told the miners were dead.
"The initial report from the rescue teams from the command center indicated multiple survivors, but that information proved to be a miscommunication," International Coal Group (ICG) president and chief executive Ben Hatfield told reporters.
Hatfield identified the lone survivor as Randal McCloy, 27, who was taken to West Virginia University Hospital, where a doctor said he was in critical condition and dehydrated, with a collapsed lung.
"The 11 remaining miners in the barricade structure were determined by the medical technicians on the rescue team to have already deceased," Hatfield said.
The community had been waiting anxiously for news on the miners since they were trapped early Monday by an explosion that ripped through the Sago mine as they were resuming work after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
One body was recovered late Tuesday, but shortly before midnight (0500 GMT Wednesday), bells pealed and cheers erupted at the nearby Sago Baptist Church, as West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin announced: "They told us they have 12 alive."
Three hours later, people left the church in a state of shock and in tears after mining officials inside had confirmed the grim news that only one of the miners had survived.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.netscape.cnn.com ...
How, horrible for them. My heart and prayers go out to these devastated families.
It was a cluster fox from the minute they found the men and the guy got on the cell phone.
Mistakes happen, no one can stop that. I blame the company president for not stepping in immediately when he knew the wrong word got out. He should have gotten word to the families right away, not waiting for near on three hours.
Personally, I couldn't blame the families for wanting to wring the company presidents neck when he came in the church. Look what they had been through.
God bless the men who fell, and their families. They need our prayers.
Fox just had a relative on who is going to SUE, she does not know who yet. How sad that this would be a family members reaction so soon after the tragedy.
I also find it sad in that these family members know its a very hazardous job.
The hopes were not built up purposely, (which would have been terribly cruel) but nonetheless, the REAL TRUTH was devastating. My prayers, my heart, and my tears go out to the loved ones of the deceased, and prayers for the miners as well. We must continue to pray for the sole survivor, that his life be spared.
She was going to sue last night within minutes; she left the meeting in the church to rush to the microphones and make that statement.
That is pretty sad. And there is our wonderful media exploiting this poor woman and humoring her enough to let her rant in such a manner.
The stupid media should have never bungled this story. Fact checkers, they're not, and this is a perfect example of their ineptness.
Those distraught families ought to be giving thanks to the couragous men who went down in that 2 mile hole and brought up the bodies of their loved ones.
Not to mention the fact that the media reported an unconfirmed report that the miners were all alive. The race to be the first network to report the story made this worse.
It was the worse time in my life.
It was hard to say who was exploiting who.
My thoughts exactly. The main-stream media is showing themselves to be on the same level as the tabloid journalists, except the MSM usually has an agenda.
Geraldo was disgusting last night. During the "Rush to Judgement" coverage on Fox last night he was screaming about the miracle. It was like he was story.
Isn't it always?
Agreed. His "emotion" appeared to be phony and totally contrived. Absolutely nauseating.
Funny, the one clip Foxnews showed of Geraldo this morning was of him questioning relatives where they had gotten the news that the miners were alive - like he was questioning the story.
Sounds like there was a "Screaming Fire in a crowded theater" scenario happening when word on the miners being alive was reported, when no one could confirm anything.
The media involved here has gone from hero (for relaying the information so quickly) to goat (for reporting it wrongly without first verifying the facts as they were). That said, why was this mine still open? Because the product (coal) was so badly needed that it had to be recovered at any cost? That the margin on the mining and distribution of coal was so great, that the spending of a few lives was an acceptable cost? Too much was being spent to be in compliance with other requirements laid on by legislative fiat, to pay attention to the safety factors tht might actually have prevented this kind of disaster?
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