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Online Bible |
Genesis 24:9
And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
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Posted by: JG on Wednesday, January 04, 2006 - 09:20 AM
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Miracle turns into tragedy early this morning. Only one miner survived not twelve. Please pray.
This terrible news came saying that only one man survived at about 3 a.m., this was only three hours after the town celebrated and wept with joy as they got word from a mine foreman, and then the governor, that 12 miners were found alive.
Family members of the miners had gathered at the Sago Baptist Church three hours earlier and began yelling "They're alive!" and the church bells began ringing.
 These relatives had been keeping a prayer vigil in this little church for over 41 hours, now were shouting "Praise the Lord!" The crowd, several hundred strong, then broke into a chorus of the hymn "How Great Thou Art," in the chilly night air. As an ambulance drove away from the mine carrying what families believed was the first survivor, they applauded, not yet knowing there were no others,
International Coal Group President Ben Hatfield came in three hours later at 3:00am and said at a live news conference. Only one not 12 survived this tragic accident. Hatfield said: What happened was a miscommunication from the rescue team,.
The news spread after people overheard cell phone calls, he said. In reality, rescuers had only confirmed finding 12 miners and were checking their vital signs. At least two family members in the church said they received cell phone calls from a mine foreman.
"That information spread like wildfire, because it had come from the command center," he said.
Company officials say they waited to correct the information until they knew more about the rescue, even as people celebrated false news.
"Let's put this in perspective. Who do I tell not to celebrate? I didn't know if there were 12 or 1 (who were alive)," Hatfield said.
The explosion is the state's deadliest mining accident since November 1968, when 78 men - including the uncle of Gov. Joe Manchin and some of Manchin's high school classmates - died in an explosion at Consol's Farmington No. 9 mine in Marion County, an hour's drive north of here. Nineteen bodies remain entombed in the mountain. It was that disaster that prompted Congress to pass the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969.
 The devastating news came more than three hours after Gov. Joe Manchin announced he had been told 12 of the miners survived the disaster. Rescue crews found the first victim earlier Tuesday evening.
About the confusion, I can't tell you of anything more heart-wrenching than I've ever gone through in my life. Nothing, Manchin said.
I'm outraged, adding that the state would investigate the cause of the explosion, the miscommunication and the mine's numerous safety and health violations last year. We're going to look into this, the Governor vowed.
Gov. Manchin, who had earlier said that the state believed in miracles, tried to focus on the news that one had survived. "We're clinging to one miracle when we were hoping for 13," he said.
The sole survivor of the disaster, identified by mining officials as 26-year-old Randal McCloy, was hospitalized in critical condition early Wednesday, a doctor said. When he arrived, he was unconscious but moaning, the hospital said.
We need to pray for the surviving relatives, friends and family members who are in great grief right now.
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