CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Searchers went back inside a wrecked West Virginia coal mine Monday to pull out more bodies as federal investigators prepared to launch their probe of the explosion that killed 29 men in the worst U.S. coal mining disaster since 1970.
While some of the dead have been laid to rest, nine bodies remained in Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal. Efforts to recover them were stalled when high levels of volatile methane gas forced crews out of the mine Sunday.
After the tunnels were ventilated, one team entered around midnight Sunday and another went in about 5 a.m. Monday, state mine office spokeswoman Jama Jarrett said.
A team of federal investigators is expected to arrive Monday to start trying to figure out what caused the explosion.
Richmond, Va.-based Massey has been under scrutiny for a string of safety violations at the mine, though CEO Don Blankenship has defended the company's record and disputed accusations that he puts profits ahead of safety.
Authorities have said high methane levels may have played a role in the disaster. Massey has been repeatedly cited and fined for problems with the system that vents methane and for allowing combustible dust to build up.
Mourning continued Monday, exactly a week after the explosion, with a wreath-laying ceremony at the state Capitol and a moment of silence planned for 3:30 p.m. President Barack Obama on Monday ordered all U.S. flags in the state flown at half-staff until sunset Sunday.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said he asked residents of his state to join the observance and continue looking for ways to help their West Virginia neighbors as they deal with a tragic time.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
Summary
Nation
Related Photos
-
Amy Sancetta)
Discussion
April 12, 2010
Crews re-enter W.Va. mine to recover 9 bodies
- Nation
-
-
Egyptians in US already looking toward the future
Waves of celebration rippled out of Egypt and washed onto America's shores Friday, with Egyptian-Americans already looking to the future after the departure of President Hosni Mubarak and his three decades of authoritarian rule.
- Pulitzers handed out When the Pulitzer board handed out the most important prizes in journalism, The New York Times and The Washington Post topped the list of winners— and finalists — as usual.
-
Crews re-enter W.Va. mine to recover 9 bodies
Searchers went back inside a wrecked West Virginia coal mine Monday to pull out more bodies as federal investigators prepared to launch their probe of the explosion that killed 29 men in the worst U.S. coal mining disaster since 1970.
-
Churchgoers honor 29 dead miners _ and profession
A pair of tall black boots and a lunch pail sat near the altar Sunday at the New Life Assembly church, a memorial to the 29 men killed in the worst U.S. mining disaster since 1970 and a thank-you to those who make their living inside the mountains.
-
4 missing W.Va. miners dead; final toll at 29
Rescue workers found four bodies deep in a West Virginia coal mine, dashing the fading hopes of finding more survivors of a violent explosion that claimed 29 lives, making it the worst U.S. mining disaster in a generation.
-
Obama promises quick court replacement for Stevens
The retirement of John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court's leading liberal but a justice who also could find conservative allies, will set off an election-year political battle over President Barack Obama's second high court pick.
-
Funerals begin for victims of W.Va. mine blast
As grieving relatives began burying some of the 25 coal miners killed in a massive underground explosion, crews prepared to go back into the mine Friday despite increasingly slim odds of finding survivors.
-
Smoke, fear of fire push rescuers from W.Va. mine
Rescue teams trekked far enough into a ruined coal mine early Friday to see that no one had used a chamber where four missing miners could have sought refuge, further dimming hopes of anyone else surviving an explosion that killed 25.
-
Search on again for WV coal mine blast survivors
Rescue workers clinging to the slimmest of hope pushed deep into a shattered coal mine early Friday, trying to get far enough to finally resolve whether four miners somehow survived an explosion that killed 25.
-
Gases force crews to abandon W.Va. mine rescue
Dangerous gases forced rescue crews to abandon the search Thursday for four coal miners missing since an explosion killed 25 colleagues in the worst U.S. mining disaster in more than two decades.
- More Nation Headlines
-
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
