Coal Mine Explosion in West Virginia: 6 casualties and 21 missing

[GLaDOS]

Holy crap. 6 dead and 21 missing. Hope they get searched soon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100405/...mine_explosion

[Lord_Stewie]

Tragic.

Hopefully, they find the rest before its too late.

[Blu-Benny]

i'm waiting for the sky to start falling w/all of this crappy news coming along lately!!!

[Batman1980]

An underground explosion was reported at the Upper Big Branch mine some 30 miles (50 km) south of Charleston, in West Virginia.

The accident happened around 1500 (1900 GMT), said the mine's owner Massey Energy Company.

The extent of the damage caused remains unclear, and emergency teams from all over West Virginia are on the scene.

"We are sending all of our prayers and thoughts to the brave miners and their families," said West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller.

"I just spoke with President Obama and he has promised to make every asset available to help us and we will be in contact as the rescue continues," said West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.

"We are all working diligently together and I ask that everyone pray for the miners, their families and our rescue teams."

National safety officials are on their way to oversee the rescue effort, says the BBC's Jane O'Brien in Washington.

Three helicopters are taking casualties to the nearest large hospital in Charleston, our correspondent adds.

"We're uncertain as to what happened but we are working diligently on rescue efforts," Massey Energy's chief executive officer, Don Blankenship, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Massey Energy says on its website that it has a safety record that is above the national average, with three fatalities in the last 12 years.

Last year 34 miners were killed in accidents across the US, the lowest on record.

Source - BBC News

[jaymzbo]

how awful

CNN is saying that the death toll is now at 12

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/05/wes...ex.html?hpt=T1