What a horrible month for this industry....
MELVILLE, West Virginia -- The two miners who were trapped after an underground fire broke out at Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 in West Virginia were found dead Saturday, mine officials said.
Jesse Cole of the Mine Safety and Health Administration said that in the area where the bodies were found, "there would've been heavy smoke, high (carbon monoxide)."
"They were both located close together when we found them," Cole added.
The announcement came after West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin promised Saturday he would announce "bold steps and bold actions" to prevent another mining tragedy in his state.
He said he spent 80 hours comforting the families of two miners.
"We're going to do everything we can never to put another family in this situation," he said.
The families of the missing men identified them as Don Israel Bragg, 33, and Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield, 47. Bragg is a father of two; Hatfield, the father of four.
Bragg had 15 years of mining experience; Hatfield had 12. Both men started together at the Aracoma mine five years ago.
There were hopes the missing miners had sought safety in a fresh-air pocket.
The deaths in Melville followed a tragedy in Tallmansville, West Virginia, in which 12 miners died of carbon monoxide poisoning following an explosion at Sago Mine, about 180 miles away. The lone survivor, Randy McCloy, is hospitalized in serious condition.
A widow of one of Sago Mine victims is at the Aracoma site, offering comfort to the families, the governor said.
Rescuers on Saturday contained the underground fire that trapped the miners and were moving down a mile-long shaft.
Cole said the heat and smoke from the fire prevented rescuers from going too deep into the mine.
Earlier, rescuers drilled a hole 200 feet into the mine. But there was no response to attempts to communicate with the missing men, said Cole.
A camera and listening devices were also lowered into the hole and failed to detect any sign of the missing pair, he said.
Complicating rescue efforts was the collapse of the mine's roof because of the fire and the blockage of several entryways.
Officials said the fire probably started on a conveyor belt that moves coal out of the mine.
The missing men were apparently separated from their 10 other crew members when the fire broke out. Their colleagues, as well as a second crew, managed to exit the mine about two hours later.
MELVILLE, West Virginia -- The two miners who were trapped after an underground fire broke out at Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 in West Virginia were found dead Saturday, mine officials said.
Jesse Cole of the Mine Safety and Health Administration said that in the area where the bodies were found, "there would've been heavy smoke, high (carbon monoxide)."
"They were both located close together when we found them," Cole added.
The announcement came after West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin promised Saturday he would announce "bold steps and bold actions" to prevent another mining tragedy in his state.
He said he spent 80 hours comforting the families of two miners.
"We're going to do everything we can never to put another family in this situation," he said.
The families of the missing men identified them as Don Israel Bragg, 33, and Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield, 47. Bragg is a father of two; Hatfield, the father of four.
Bragg had 15 years of mining experience; Hatfield had 12. Both men started together at the Aracoma mine five years ago.
There were hopes the missing miners had sought safety in a fresh-air pocket.
The deaths in Melville followed a tragedy in Tallmansville, West Virginia, in which 12 miners died of carbon monoxide poisoning following an explosion at Sago Mine, about 180 miles away. The lone survivor, Randy McCloy, is hospitalized in serious condition.
A widow of one of Sago Mine victims is at the Aracoma site, offering comfort to the families, the governor said.
Rescuers on Saturday contained the underground fire that trapped the miners and were moving down a mile-long shaft.
Cole said the heat and smoke from the fire prevented rescuers from going too deep into the mine.
Earlier, rescuers drilled a hole 200 feet into the mine. But there was no response to attempts to communicate with the missing men, said Cole.
A camera and listening devices were also lowered into the hole and failed to detect any sign of the missing pair, he said.
Complicating rescue efforts was the collapse of the mine's roof because of the fire and the blockage of several entryways.
Officials said the fire probably started on a conveyor belt that moves coal out of the mine.
The missing men were apparently separated from their 10 other crew members when the fire broke out. Their colleagues, as well as a second crew, managed to exit the mine about two hours later.
