4 Missing W.Va. Miners Found Dead

Updated at 1:18 a.m. ET

Rescue workers located four bodies deep in a West Virginia coal mine, dashing any faint hopes of finding more survivors of a deadly explosion that has claimed 29 lives, the worst U.S. mining disaster in a generation.

Officials announced the grim discovery at the Upper Big Branch Mine early Saturday, after first notifying family members.

"We did not receive the miracle that we prayed for," Gov. Joe Manchin said. "So this journey has ended and now the healing will start."

Until late Friday, officials had held out a slim chance that four missing miners may have made it to an underground refuge chamber which held enough oxygen and water to survive for four days.

"None of the chambers had been deployed and none of our miners suffered," Manchin said.

The death toll makes it the worst U.S. coal mining disaster since a 1970 explosion killed 38 in Hyden, Ky.

Earlier, federal mine safety administrator Kevin Stricklin had said there was no way anyone in the mine could have survived after the blast unless they were in a refuge shelter.

"There's no way that life could be sustained in that type of atmosphere, even for a short period of time," Stricklin said.

Rescuers had hoped the miners might have made it to the chamber stocked with food, water and enough oxygen for several days.

Officials say the mission now is to recover all 22 bodies still inside the Upper Big Branch mine 30 miles south of Charleston. Seven other bodies were recovered after the blast Monday and two other miners were injured.

"It's hard to turn a rescue into a recovery with the same group of people," Stricklin said.

During the previous rescue attempts, searchers were forced to withdraw by dangerous gases and the risk of fire or explosion.

The first time rescuers went into the mine after the explosion they walked past three of the four missing miners without seeing them, because of the smoke and dust in the area.

The fourth and final missing miner was found deeper into the mine late Friday, Stricklin said.

The federal mine agency has appointed a team of investigators to look into the blast, which officials said may have been caused by a buildup of methane. President Obama said he wants a report by next week.

The mine's owner, Massey Energy Co., has been repeatedly cited for problems with the system that vents methane and for allowing combustible dust to build up. On the day of the blast, MSHA cited the mine with two safety violations - one involving inadequate maps of escape routes, the other concerning an improper splice of electrical cable. However, Stricklin said the violations had nothing to do with the blast.

Massey CEO Don Blankenship has strongly defended the company's record and disputed accusations from miners that he puts coal profits ahead of safety.

More on the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion:

W.Va. Miners' Search Nears End, Officials Say
Funerals Begin for Miners
Funerals Begin for Miners Killed in W. Va. Explosion
Rescue Halted as Mine Air Turns "Explosive"
Four Miners Still Missing
Photos: W. Va. Mine Explosion
Mining Company was Cited on Day of Blast
Miners' Families Cling to "Sliver of Hope"
Mine Worker: "There are no Safe Mines"
Coal Mine CEO Blankenship's Revealing Tweets
W.Va. Coal Mine Blast: The Victims
Recent Fatal U.S. Mine Disasters
Mines not Paying Fines a Familiar Story
Gov.: "No Excuse" for Mine Safety Flaws
Eerie Statement from Miner Killed in Blast

[mike 901]

Key to the issue of (working conditions) now, will be the newly resurected N.L.R.B. . After sitting half vacant for 8 (Bush) years, new appointments to the board have been made. And you can believe this is Huge. Thanks to our President stepping up, and opposing these gangs of rich people (corporations). Solidarity

[tankmansquare]

This latest mining disaster reminds me of when my brother Bobby and I used to help dad at the tipple. I was very young then, but I remember making slate dummies (wrapping slate in newspapers to be packed behind the dynamite after the holes were drilled). Another job I had was putting the stick in the spoke of the wheels on the coal cart as it approached the tipple. Dad would be the one to go in and drill the holes in the coal seam to insert the dynamite, and run the wires out to almost the entrance, than touch them to a battery. After the explosion, we would go in and shovel the coal into the coal cart. We used carbide lamps to see with, and the tracks that the coal cart ran on were not always metal. Some parts of the tracks were 4X4's. Then we would push the carts out to the tipple and pull the pins on the front flap so that as the A frame lifted the back of the coal cart, the coal would dump into the tipple. Dad would have his dump truck already underneath of the tipple, and later he would open the chute and the coal would fall into the dump truck. It was high sulfur content coal, but it was cheap, and most of the people who bought it were poor and needed it for their coal furnaces in their homes.

This latest mining disaster reminds me of the fight that the UMWA has always had for better working conditions. Going all the way back to the Ludlow massacre in Colorado where the Colorado Militia (National Guard) at the behest of John D. Rockefeller, machine gunned striking coal miners and their families who were forced to live in tents during the strike because the coal company owned the land their houses were on. Dad would tell me about having been paid in script that could only be used at the company store during the Great Depression. There were 2 lines, one for pay, and one for debt. Many miners walked away owing more money to the company store than they were getting in script. The song that Tennessee Ernie Ford sang (16 Tons) was very accurate! Later, places like Matawan, and Harlan County would echo with the strikes that these coal miners used in order to get equitable treatment from the coal companies.

Now, instead of simply digging holes into mountains, they are cutting off the tops of the mountains, and the runoff is polluting fresh water downstream. This is all done in the name of energy, and in violation of environmental laws, just like what is taking place in China. Now, the drilling of gas has polluted the water table in such places as Colorado. They use various chemicals to "crack" or "frack" the rocks in order to get at the natural gas. These chemicals are proprietary and are not released by the companies to the public. But we know from the smell of the water, and the fact that it can be actually ignited by a cigarette lighter as it comes out of the sink faucet, is an indication of some of the carcinogenic chemicals being used. The government will not force these companies to divulge the chemicals used, nor will it stop them from polluting the aquifer that the communities depend on for clean drinking water.

[wjksea]

"None of the chambers had been deployed and none of our miners suffered," Manchin said
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Sounds like the governor is more tied to the coal mining industry than to being the governor of a state of citizens.

[redneck1977]

Do not comment on things you have no knowledge of....the Governor lost a family member in the Farmington, WV mining accident many, many years ago. WV citizens are coal miners...every person in this state is "tied" to coal mining... Governor Manchin is a compassionate man and a great governor caring for all citizens of WV

[formrusmcsgt]

"We did not receive the miracle that we prayed for," Gov. Joe Manchin said.
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With no disrespect intended to the dead, these rituals of "communicating" with invisible beings are signs that the gourd is empty....

[sandy19731]

Sometimes God shows a real mean streak.

[dblbar1]

My heart goes out to the families of all the miners who were lost. You will all be in my prayers. God bless those who lost their lives when it could have been prevented.

[rwsmith29456]

The excessive dust and methane that the company was cited for most likely was the culprit in this explosion. This company has blood on its hands.

[lecroy520]

SHAME on you Massey Energy for putting a dollar amount ABOVE a life..SHAME on the US Government for allowing them to do it...Governor Manchin..are you not tired of being best known for your attire as you attend the countless funerals of people who did the real work? You've attended the most. This happened on YOUR watch!! How many lives have to be given before something is done..SHUT THEM DOWN, when they violate the codes. If they have the right to appeal it, yet keep right on working employees in unsafe conditions..what good is MSHA?? You might as well have given them a parking ticket. What a waste of innocent lives..and a vote.

[redneck1977]

MSHA is handled by the federal government not Governor Manchin....he has done more for WV miners than any other WV Governor....do not place the blame in his hands...the blame falls to Massey...every law and regulation has a loop hole...and Massey finds them all

[asagan]

Nothing fails like prayer.

[askagain]

Over 70% of Americans believe in God. You represent a minority of people who live in America. Can all of these people be wrong? Arguing with someone who is a non-believer is an exercise in futility and serves no purpose.

[sandy19731]

So, 70% of Americans didn't learn a thing in Science class. I guess Texas has succeeded.