Sago Mine Disaster : A Preliminary Report to West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III

On Jan. 2, 2006, 29 coal miners went underground at the Sago Mine, Buckhannon, WV. At 6:26 a.m., an explosion propelled smoke, dust, debris & lethal carbon monoxide (CM) into the working sections of the mine. One miner was killed, 16 escaped, & 23 were unable to escape & retreated to await rescue. Rescuers found the trapped miners 41 hours later. By that time all but one had succumbed from CM asphyxiation. This is a report about why: the explosion was not contained; the mine rescue effort took so long; the trapped miners were sent no signal to tell them that help was coming; & after they were finally found, their waiting families were informed that all were alive -- & celebrated that news for 3 hours before being told the awful truth. Illus.McAteer, J. Davitt is the author of 'Sago Mine Disaster : A Preliminary Report to West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III', published 2007 under ISBN 9781422312995 and ISBN 1422312992.