Mine-blast probe awaits recovery of bodies

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

Federal investigators arrived Monday at the West Virginia mine where 29 men died in an explosion last week to begin piecing together what caused the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster since 1970.

Thirty miles to the north, hundreds of mourners including the governor observed a moment of silence at the state Capitol, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the foot of a statue honoring the state’s miners.

The team of inspectors at the Upper Big Branch mine weren’t heading underground until searchers removed all the bodies from the mine. The team from the Mine Safety and Health Administration briefed Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and MSHA director Joe Main at the mine.

The last bodies were expected to be taken out Monday, state mine office spokeswoman Jama Jarrett said. Recovery efforts had been stalled in previous days by volatile gases, but teams entered after the tunnels were ventilated.

She said the crews late Monday were near where the bodies are located.

The state panel that writes mining safety rules and typically reviews inspectors’ reports after the investigations are complete said it would like to join the investigators underground this time.

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