Tuesday, January 03, 2006

FALSE: 12 found alive in W VA mine

Jan 9:

Statement below confirmed:

"At one point last year, the Mine Safety and Health Administration fined a coal company a scant $440 for a ''significant and substantial'' violation that ended in the death of a Kentucky man. The firm, International Coal Group Inc., is the same company that owns the Sago Mine in West Virginia, where 12 workers died earlier this week. "

1305, next day after that:

The former director of the National Mine Academy says lack of Bush administration oversight and enforcement led directly to the conditions that killed the twelve. Sean Hannity (gutless Fox-News shill) attempts to deny.

0745, next day:

Oh, Jesus.

Sometimes miracles happen. Prayers for the family of the 13th man, Terry Helms.

But, Goddammit, this shouldn't let International Coal Group off the hook:

The Sago Mine has a long list of safety violations -- and an injury rate in 2004 three times that of other, similar-sized underground mines, according to data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The Sago Mine was cited about 200 times over alleged safety violations in 2005, up from 68 citations the year before, according to the administration.
Some of the trapped miners had said long before the explosion that they were just waiting for a disaster.

1 comment:

Jonathan said...

This is just horrible.
200 citations for safety violations this year alone and seemingly little to nothing done about it? I also can't believe that this false info (12 miners alive) was announced and subsequently released all over nat'l televion, internet, and wherever else without even remotely being verified.