Miners trapped in WV

[vass0922]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/02/min...ion/index.html

Twelve miners were trapped more than a mile underground Monday after a coal mine explosion in West Virginia, officials said.

The blast occurred shortly before 8 a.m. ET, about eight miles south of Buckhannon near Tallmansville in Upshur County, said Louise Bleith, operations supervisor at the county's 911 center.

"Six came out," Bleith said. None of those who exited the mine required medical treatment, she said.

Hopefully they make it out soon.

[Chuckiechan]

I thought only nuclear energy was dangerous to workers?

Being a coal miner is one job they haven't figured out how to oursource yet!

With methane and coal dust, it's amazing anyone would do the job at all.

[pickel]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/02/min...ion/index.html

[Pexster]

Thanks to Jimmy Dean for this song --

Ever' mornin' the mine you could see him arrive
He stood six-foot six and weighed two forty-five
Kinda broad at the shoulders and narrow at the hip
Ever'body knew you didn't give no "lip", to Big John;

Nobody seemed to know where John called home
He just drifted into town and stayed all alone
He didn't say much, kinda quiet and shy
And if you spoke at all, you just said hi, to Big John;

Somebody said he came from New Orleans
Where he got in a fight over a Cajun Queen
And a crashin' blow from a huge right hand
Sent a Louisana fellow to the promised land, Big John;

Then came the day at the bottom of the mine
When a timber cracked and men started cryin'
Miners were prayin' and hearts beat fast
And ever'body tho't that they'd breathed their last, 'cept John;

Thru the dust and the smoke of this man made hell
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
Grabbed a sagging timber and gave out with a groan
And like a giant Oak tree just stood there alone, Big John;

With all of his strength, he gave a mighty shove
Then a miner yelled out, there's a light up above
And twenty men scrambled from a would-be grave
And now there's only one left down there to save, Big John;

With jacks and timbers they started back down
Then came that rumble way down in the ground
And smoke and gas belched out of that mine
And ever'body knew it was the end of the line, for Big John;

Now they never reopened that worthless pit
They just placed a marble stand in front of it
These few words are written on that stand
At the bottom of this mine likes a big, big man, Big John

[Knothead]

Dear God, those guys have been down in that hole for almost 18 hours now!

We got some praying to do here, folks.

[RedFury]

One of those days that makes me think "y'know, my job isn't so bad afterall...I mean, I could be trapped in a mine, or a submarine "

Sure hope there's a happy ending to this...losing loved ones right at the beginning of the years would just be rough.

[caro]

Great news, 12 have been found alive

[vass0922]

doh... I'm too late!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/03/min...ion/index.html

good news nonetheless

One did pass in the explosion though


good to see that the other 12 were ok though

[OuTpaTienT]

This is great news! Last I had heard they had drilled into the mine and were hoping to get some kind of indication of life, like tapping on the drill bit. When there was no sign like that I, like I'm sure many, just assumed the worst.

[Knothead]

YEEE! YEEEEEEEE!!

What great news!!

[lost-and-found]

WOW, now it turns out only one survived, and is in critical condition

[OuTpaTienT]

****!

[Indian]

I thought only nuclear energy was dangerous to workers?
Being a coal miner is one job they haven't figured out how to oursource yet!
With methane and coal dust, it's amazing anyone would do the job at all.

---A bit out of the context---

Every year there are hundreds (may be thousands) of miners die in china. There are no safety mesures and they are paid less than even indian miners even though china has higher cost of living index. China has two faces. One the progressive one to lure FDI and than the other one which very few people know or they ignore like there history of human rights violation or press control.

Chinese labours can't do anything as all the unions are goverment control and military is too strong No wonders China is producing the cheapest steel in the world In the nation of 1.25 billion, I guess it doesn't matter for them if few thousand die to produce cheap steel.

[MegalosSkylaki]

They try to put a capitalists face on it. But it is still Communism.

Back home: the technology used to even locate the miners truly sucks. They didn't even know exactly where they were.
Why can they use air pipes and communication wires to follow the miners where they go?
Too much cost ?

[Sweeper]

go to bed hearing the good news then wake up to here this....

[vass0922]

awful

Definately a rough job
Rest In Peace..

[Detritus]

Yeah, it is awful, I can't imagine dying like that... that has got to be horrible.

[caro]

Awful for the poor families and friends too, the news was broadcast all over the world that they were found alive, seemingly direct from the command centre, now to be told sorry that was wrong.