Rescuers found the bodies of the two miners on Saturday, bringing to 14 the number of West Virginia miners killed in less than a month.
The two men, Don Bragg and Ellery Hatfield, disappeared after a conveyor belt fire broke out Thursday at the Alma No. 1 mine in Melville, about 60 miles southwest of Charleston.
The mine is owned by Massey Energy through subsidiary Aracoma Coal. Massey issued a statement of sympathy saying the company and community were deeply saddened by the tragedy.
“Our collective efforts must now shift from the rescue operations to comforting the families and colleagues of our members, and helping them through this tragedy,” the statement said.
Other members of the 12-man crew managed to escape the fire but the two men became separated and could not get out, according to Associated Press.
Rescue workers drilled a 200ft long hole into the mine shaft and also lowered in a camera and microphone. Intense heat and smoke hampered rescue efforts and rescue teams could not get beyond the burning conveyor belt.
The bodies of the two men were found near where the intense fire had been burning for more than 40 hours.
West Virginia governor Joe Manchin said he would introduce legislation dealing with rapid responses in emergencies, electronic tracking technology and reserve oxygen for underground miners. He planned to travel to Washington on Tuesday to discuss the proposals with the state's congressional delegation, according to Associated Press.
"These two men who perished in this mine, the 12 men who perished in the Sago Mine, I can only say to each of those families ... that they have not died in vain," Manchin said at a press conference.
The mine was cited 95 times last year for safety violations, including accumulation of combustible materials and lack of an approved ventilation plan, according to the US Labor Department, Bloomberg reported.
Aracoma was reportedly fined more than $US28,000 for 66 of the violations at the mine with the largest fine of $US5,300 for the presence of quartz in dust.
