The incident, the worst mining-related accident in the state of West Virginia in almost 40 years, will be investigated as a joint effort between the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the state’s office of Miners Health, Safety and Training, MSHA said in a January 9 statement.
While interviews delving into the details surrounding Sago would be held in private, West Virginia governor Joe Manchin said a public hearing would also be held – not to determine cause but rather to examine safety and rescue issues.
Manchin’s spokesperson Lara Ramsburg told Associated Press company representatives and workers would just ask questions for clarifications and not conduct the interviews, and she anticipates a possible March date for the public hearings.
“In the past, most investigative hearings of this type have been private,” Manchin told the media. “However, my administration and the federal government feel that the victims’ families and the people of West Virginia deserve to have their voices heard with regard to this tragedy.”
Manchin added that the miners’ loved ones will be consistently kept abreast of progress. “The miners’ families will be able to attend the hearings, and know every bit of information as it becomes available. Anytime you lose a family member to a tragedy like this, part of your recovery process is preventing any other person from going through it, too. This will, I hope, help them heal.”
Crews are still working to prepare the mine for an underground investigation, Manchin told AP. He said the workers anticipate completing rebuild work on concrete barriers by week’s end. Drilled boreholes are also still releasing the toxic underground gases.
The sole survivor, 26-year-old Randal McCloy Jr, condition improved yesterday and he has been moved from intensive care, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. However, he still remains in a serious condition and has not regained consciousness.
The Sago Mine is operated by International Coal Group (ICG), who purchased the operation’s owner Anker Coal in 2005. The mine will remain idle indefinitely while investigations are under way.
