Report: W. Va. Mine Disaster Likely Preventable

(CBS/ AP)  A preliminary report on last week's deadly mine explosion in West Virginia suggests the blast may have been preventable. Twenty-nine miners were killed in the blast.

The report says the cause may have been a buildup of methane gas mixing with coal dust. Such explosions, according to the report, can be prevented when mine operators properly control the levels of methane and coal dust.

But it cautions that the specific cause of the blast at the Upper Big Branch mine is still being determined.

The mine saw a major spike in safety violations last year. The report says the rate of repeated serious violations was nearly 19 times the national rate.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis presented the report to President Barack Obama and members of West Virginia's congressional delegation.

Related:

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Photos: W. Va. Mine Explosion

The preliminary report was delivered hours after Mr. Obama ordered an exhaustive federal review of coal mine safety Thursday and asked Congress to strengthen existing laws "riddled with loopholes."

"We can't just hold mining companies accountable. We have to hold Washington accountable," the president said in response to the April 5 underground explosion at a Massey Energy Co. mine in West Virginia where 29 miners were killed.

"We need to take a hard look at our own practices and our own procedures," Mr. Obama told reporters in the Rose Garden.

"I refuse to accept any number of miner deaths as simply a cost of doing business," he said.

The president directed Solis to work closely with Congress to strengthen existing laws and to work with the Justice Department "to ensure that every tool in the federal government is available in this investigation."

"Owners responsible for conditions in the Upper Big Branch mine should be held accountable for decisions they made and preventive measures they failed to take," Mr. Obama said.

But while that mine, in Montcoal, W.Va., had a history of safety violations, "this isn't just about a single mine," Obama added.