WSJ: trying to piece together the false hope about the miners

[question everything]

Twelve Are Confirmed Dead In West Virginia Coal Mine

News Stuns Families Who Had Been Told Earlier That Only One Miner Was Killed
By KRIS MAHER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
January 4, 2006 1:50 p.m.

TALLMANSVILLE, W. Va. -- Devastated family members and friends of the 12 miners killed in an underground explosion are trying to piece together why they were led to believe the victims survived the ordeal for several turbulent hours last night.

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Ben Hatfield, the CEO of International Coal Group, or ICG, operator of the mine, read a statement short thereafter confirming the disaster had claimed the lives of the 12 workers. Mr. Hatfield blamed a breakdown in communication for the confusion.

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Many grieving family members are also angry with state Gov. Joe Manchin, who appeared to confirm the news that 12 of the miners had survived. Gov. Manchin later said he was misled by the same information that confused the families.

(snip)

The false news about survivors spread quickly after people overheard cellphone calls, Mr. Hatfield said. In reality, rescuers had only confirmed finding 12 miners and were checking their vital signs. But what began to leak out to anxious family members was that 12 miners had been discovered alive.

The White House Wednesday promised a full investigation of the coal mine disaster and defended the administration's record on mine safety rules. "This is a tragic loss," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "We were saddened to learn about the loss of life. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and the entire community there in West Virginia." Mr. McClellan said mine safety has been a priority for the Bush administration. "In fact this administration proposed a fourfold increase in fines and penalties for violations of the Mine Safety and Health Administration rules," he said.

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--The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Write to Kris Maher at [e-mail]

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113635759252337385.html (subscription)

[Warpy]

1. Obviously, that first report of "We found them"

quickly got mistranslated into "We found them ALIVE." Such is the nature of hope.

I feel sorry for the people who went on that roller coaster ride from despair to elation to betrayal and grief. I have nothing but contempt for the mine owners and their GOP henchmen who allowed safety regulations to go unenforced.