Bodies of 2 Missing Miners Found

Rescuers found the bodies of two missing West Virginia miners late Saturday, two days after they got separated from their workmates during a fire.

Officials said the bodies of Elvis Hatfield and Don Bragg were deep underground in the Alma No. 1 coal mine in Logan County, National Public Radio reported. The miners probably died fairly quickly from the high heat and carbon monoxide, officials said.

At least 21 men were underground Thursday when the fire began. Hatfield and Bragg were among a group of 12 who started heading for the surface but only 10 arrived there, along with nine miners from another part of the mine.

The fire hampered rescue efforts. By Saturday afternoon, the blaze had been contained enough for a search for the missing men to get under way.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, at a news conference immediately after the discovery of the bodies, promised to introduce legislation next week to improve mine safety.

This has got to stop and it’s going to stop, Manchin said, after keeping his second vigil in a month with the families of trapped miners.

Alma No. 1 is owned by Aracoma Coal, a subsidiary of Massey Energy of Richmond, Va.