Jul 19, 2006 6:55 pm US/Eastern
Cause Of Sago Explosion Still A Mystery
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (KDKA/AP) ―
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A coal miner's helmet sits atop a flag-draped wooden cross outside a memorial service honoring the victims of the Sago Mine explosion last month in Buckhannon, W.Va.
CBS
An independent report on the Sago Mine explosion says the 12 men who died would have survived if blocks designed to seal off an abandoned section of the mine had withstood the blast.
Governor Manchin appointed J. Davitt McAteer as his special adviser on the Sago mine tragedy.
He presented his findings in a 90-page report today.
McAteer's investigation focused on three areas, including keeping miners alive underground long enough to be rescued; developing better communications from underground to the surface; and providing miners with better training.
The explosion killed one miner outright and trapped a dozen others at the ICG mine.
Eleven succumbed to the fumes, smoke and carbon monoxide before rescuers reached the spot where they had sought shelter underground.
McAteer says the blocks failed to contain the explosion as required by law and were pulverized.
He says if the seals had held, the men would have been alive.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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