US mining disaster hope turns to anger in local church
-04/01/06
What some were joyful
US mining disaster hope turns to anger in local church
-04/01/06
What some were joyfully calling a ëmiracleí turned to tragedy and anger in a Baptist church this morning, as relatives of twelve men trapped after a Virginia coal mine accident were first told they had survived ñ and then discovered only three hours later that they had died.
The men had been missing since an explosion shook the mine at 6.30 am (local time) on Monday 2 January 2005. Company officials said the blast could have been sparked by a lightning strike. A thirteenth man may yet live, but is in a critical condition.
Representatives of the International Coal Group had to be taken from nearby Sago Baptist Church under police escort after breaking the bad news about the deaths, following false news that the men had survived.
An earlier message from the rescue team inside the Sago mine to a command centre above ground suggesting there were multiple survivors was a ìmiscommunication,î said Mr Ben Hatfield, president and chief executive officer of the mine owner.
The news was received with disbelief and outrage by friends and family of the miners, who had been gathering in the local Baptist Church to pray for them and to receive support.
It seems that a report about ìseeking vital signsî from twelve men discovered underground was wrongly interpreted by those hearing it. They then used mobile phones to pass on a message that they were alive to people waiting in the church.
Similarly, news that the bodies were to be brought out was misunderstood to mean that the men would be re-united with their loved ones.
At first the news brought scenes of celebration and joy. But these soon turned to bitterness, confusion and recrimination when the facts turned out to be tragically different.
Even as information about the awful error spread, news networks across the US were continuing to say that the men had survived.
ìThe lust for instant news and a failure to check details before publishing has evidently not helpedî, a media spokesperson told Ekklesia.
Meanwhile unions and campaigners for workersí rights say that the real anger should be focussed not on those involved in the miscommunication ñ who are being accused by some of deliberately misinforming relatives ñ but on regulation of the mining industry per se.
According to US Labour Department statistics, Federal authorities issued 21 notices last year citing a build-up of combustible materials at the mine, says the business network Bloomberg.
The mine, owned by Ashland, Kentucky-based International Coal Group Inc., was also cited for a total of 208 Federal safety violations in 2005, up from 68 in 2004.
The largest individual fine imposed throughout the year was just 440 US dollars. The citations for combustible materials carried fines of 60 US dollars.
The Sago mine is run by Buckhannon, West Virginia-based Anker West Virginia Mining Company, which was purchased by International Coal Group Inc in April 2005.
US mining disaster hope turns to anger in local church
-04/01/06
What some were joyfully calling a ëmiracle’ turned to tragedy and anger in a Baptist church this morning, as relatives of twelve men trapped after a Virginia coal mine accident were first told they had survived – and then discovered only three hours later that they had died.
The men had been missing since an explosion shook the mine at 6.30 am (local time) on Monday 2 January 2005. Company officials said the blast could have been sparked by a lightning strike. A thirteenth man may yet live, but is in a critical condition.
Representatives of the International Coal Group had to be taken from nearby Sago Baptist Church under police escort after breaking the bad news about the deaths, following false news that the men had survived.
An earlier message from the rescue team inside the Sago mine to a command centre above ground suggesting there were multiple survivors was a ‘miscommunication,’ said Mr Ben Hatfield, president and chief executive officer of the mine owner.
The news was received with disbelief and outrage by friends and family of the miners, who had been gathering in the local Baptist Church to pray for them and to receive support.
It seems that a report about ‘seeking vital signs’ from twelve men discovered underground was wrongly interpreted by those hearing it. They then used mobile phones to pass on a message that they were alive to people waiting in the church.
Similarly, news that the bodies were to be brought out was misunderstood to mean that the men would be re-united with their loved ones.
At first the news brought scenes of celebration and joy. But these soon turned to bitterness, confusion and recrimination when the facts turned out to be tragically different.
Even as information about the awful error spread, news networks across the US were continuing to say that the men had survived.
‘The lust for instant news and a failure to check details before publishing has evidently not helped’, a media spokesperson told Ekklesia.
Meanwhile unions and campaigners for workers’ rights say that the real anger should be focussed not on those involved in the miscommunication – who are being accused by some of deliberately misinforming relatives – but on regulation of the mining industry per se.
According to US Labour Department statistics, Federal authorities issued 21 notices last year citing a build-up of combustible materials at the mine, says the business network Bloomberg.
The mine, owned by Ashland, Kentucky-based International Coal Group Inc., was also cited for a total of 208 Federal safety violations in 2005, up from 68 in 2004.
The largest individual fine imposed throughout the year was just 440 US dollars. The citations for combustible materials carried fines of 60 US dollars.
The Sago mine is run by Buckhannon, West Virginia-based Anker West Virginia Mining Company, which was purchased by International Coal Group Inc in April 2005.