Notes assured families miners died peacefully

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Miners mourned
Friends and relatives remember the 12 trapped miners who died at the Sago Mine. Click "Launch" to view images.

Families considering lawsuits
A spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin said autopsies on the dead should be completed either late Thursday or early Friday, and his office indicated that if the families want him there, he would attend all the funerals.

Families of the victims are considering legal action, said Amber Helms, whose father, fire boss Terry Helms, was among those killed.

“It’s the biggest thing that’s going to happen after these miners are put to rest,” she said Thursday on NBC’s “Today.”

In other developments, federal and state investigators were at the mine Thursday seeking a cause for Monday’s explosion. Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas or highly combustible coal dust in the air, but what exactly triggered that explosion remained unclear.

Lightning detected near mine
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported Thursday that a federal contractor that monitors thunderstorms detected three lightning strikes within five miles of the Sago mine within a half hour of Monday’s explosions. The contractor, Vaisala Inc., said two of the strikes, including one that was four to 10 times stronger than average, hit within 1½ miles of the mine.

David Dye, who heads the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, said that in addition to the cause, investigation will also probe “how emergency information was relayed about the trapped miners’ conditions.”

Just before midnight Tuesday, families received word that 12 miners were alive. Bells at the church pealed and politicians proclaimed the rescue a miracle before the truth emerged three hours later. At that point, the families’ joy turned instantly to fury, with one man lunging at coal company officials.

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