(Reuters) - Rescuers found no evidence four missing miners were alive in a West Virginia coal mine since an explosion killed 25 others but held a "sliver of hope" on Wednesday the miners found shelter in a deep underground chamber.
The blast in the Montcoal mine, owned by Massey Energy, killed 25 miners. Eleven bodies have been identified, but 14 were still in the mine, along with the four missing.
Three of the unaccounted for are believed to be in a rescue chamber equipped with food, water and air about 400 feet/120 meters from the spot where the first borehole drilled through early on Wednesday, the governor said. The fourth man is thought to be in a nearby section.
"Everyone is holding onto the hope that that's their dad or that's their brother or that's their son," Manchin said. "That is the sliver of hope that we have.
"The odds are not in our favor because of the horrificness and horrendous blast," he said.
Shares of Massey Energy, the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia, were trading down about 4 percent at midday on the New York Stock Exchange. Analysts predicted long-term financial health for Massey despite the setback.
DIFFICULT RESCUE
Rescuers were drilling five boreholes down 1,100 to vent the mine of dangerous gases. The holes, just 12 inches wide at the surface and 6 inches below at the coal seam, would be equipped with powerful fans, authorities said.
Rescue teams turned back due to toxic gases on Monday, and officials had not determined whether the underground air was safe to get inside again. Readings of any methane or carbon monoxide would likely occur in the afternoon, Manchin said.
Up to about 30 rescuers were waiting, "charged up and ready to go," he said.
Asked if there was evidence any miners had survived, Kevin Stricklin of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration said: "We don't have any at this point. We just have hope".
In 2006, a miner was rescued from a coal mine in Sago, West Virginia, nearly 42 hours after a blast killed 12 coworkers.
Massey said Wednesday the bodies of seven miners had been removed from the Upper Big Branch mine, located 30 miles south of the state capital Charleston.
While the cause of the explosion has not been determined, the buildup of combustible methane gas is often cited in mine blasts and Massey has been criticized over safety violations.
Upper Big Branch mine was evacuated three times in the past two months due to dangerous methane levels, two miners told The New York Times, which reported that month that the mine was fined at least three times for ventilation problems.
Questions have been raised by experts and observers about Massey's safety record and the laws governing the mining industry. Mining has always been dangerous, but 2009 was the safest ever for U.S. miners, with 34 deaths, according to federal data, 18 fewer than 2008.
Massey's accident rate fell to an all-time low in 2009, the sixth consecutive year its safety record was stronger than the industry average, the company said on its website.
But Upper Big Branch Mine has had three fatalities since 1998 and a worse-than-average injury rate over the last 10 years, according to federal records. Ellen Smith, editor of Mine Safety and Health News, said the mine has been repeatedly cited for safety violations.
The Upper Branch Mine blast is the country's deadliest mining disaster since 1984, when 27 miners died in a fire in Utah. West Virginia was home to the worst U.S. coal mine disaster, when 362 miners died at the Monongah mine in 1906.
Two workers injured in Monday's blast were hospitalized, one in serious condition, authorities said.
Rescuers also planned to set off seismic charges in hopes the sounds could be heard deep in the mine.
"There's progress being made," said U.S. Representative Nick Rahall of West Virginia on CNN. "We hope by the end of the day we can have some news for the families, and they can move closer toward closure on this".
Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst, editing by Doina Chiacu
Reuters
