MSHA released 25 witness interviews from investigations into the disaster that claimed 29 lives, just a fraction of the more than 250 witnesses interviewed so far.

Just the released transcripts cover hundreds of pages and provide insights into the difficulties with trying to piece together what happened after the explosion.

The transcripts consist of interviews with five Massey mine rescue members, 10 interviews with MSHA personnel and another 10 with West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training rescue specialists.

The transcripts cover how the rescuers were called in after the explosion and their activities underground while searching for missing miners.

They also cover how they established communications and ultimately recovered the 29 bodies, achieved within nine days of the blast.

Notably, the documents revealed that Massey sent the first personnel underground after the explosion.

Witness testimony indicated that Massey executives Chris Blanchard and Jason Whitehead were underground well before the arrival of MSHA rescue teams.

They entered the mine without breathing apparatus, but there was fresh air flowing underground, including at the damaged longwall face.

A multiple gas detector revealed only small levels of carbon monoxide, adequate oxygen and small amounts of methane for at least one MSHA mine rescue specialist.

MSHA’s Jerry Cook, who had more than 12 years of experience with its mine emergency unit, didn’t know who “Jason” [Whitehead] was when he first encountered him underground with other MSHA mine rescue members.

They quickly had conflicting views over recovery approaches, according to Cook’s interview transcript.

“Jason goes over and gets on the phone,” Cook said.

“At that point in time he tells me, he said, the command center wants to talk to you. And I said, I ain’t got time to talk to command center. I’m going to take these guys and we’re going to set up a fresh air base and we’re going to look for these men.

“I said, I’m not wasting my time talking to command center at this time.”

Further into his testimony, he was critical that Massey had staff underground at the mine so quickly after the explosion, and that so many people were underground.

“It’s bad enough to try to find 29 people, you don’t need to have 40 more to look for,” he said.

“You don’t need to have people run in there. Anybody could’ve done anything in that mine that they wanted to. They could’ve controlled, they could’ve changed controls or anything. We just had a major explosion.

“They could’ve killed every one of us. At that time, we was [sic] expendable that night, that’s my opinion, at no cost to get to these people. They didn’t care what they did with us. That’s my opinion.”

On the release of the transcripts, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health Joseph Main provided context of the difficulties mine rescue personnel can face.

“As many mine rescue events of the past have indicated, confusion is not uncommon, and information is not always effectively communicated as rescuers search for survivors in a race against time and in a life-threatening atmosphere,” he said.

“This rescue operation was no different. We owe these individuals our gratitude for their willingness to respond to these difficult circumstances and to place themselves at risk for the sake of others."

The interview transcripts can each be downloaded here: http://www.msha.gov/PerformanceCoal/Transcripts/UBBInterviews.asp