THE death of 13 miners in West Virginia was tragic enough but when the mine’s owners reported that 12 of the missing men had been found alive and only one man was dead, there was hysterical joy among anxious waiting relatives. Unfortunately three hours later, the bitter truth became known. Only one man had survived. The rest had perished.
The fury and anger of the bereaved families is understandable. A forlorn mining company spokesman explaining the terrible error admitted: “Welcome to the worst day of my life”. Last night it was still not clear how the incorrect information arose. It appears there was a misunderstanding between the rescuers down in the mine and the surface. The figures for dead and survivors were clearly somehow transposed. Friends and relatives who had been praying for a miracle exploded with joy, only to have their excitement and relief shattered within hours.
Extra anger was kindled because it appears that only 20 minutes after the apparent good news broke, the owners of the Sago Mine where the accident happened 70 meters below ground, International Coal Group Inc, found out the awful truth. It appears, however, that they decided to hold up a formal announcement until the rescuers were able to give a more accurate picture.
One reason for the strength of feeling among the population of Tallmansville may be that there have long been serious concerns about the safety of the mine and the way in which its owners operated it. Since October, the US Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued 50 citations to the Sago Mine, the most recent on Dec. 21. There are already threats of legal action by the bereaved families, not only for the accident, but also for compensation for the distress caused by the erroneous news that the dozen men had survived. Given that this was a high-profile tragedy played out on US 24-hours news channels, smart suited civil lawyers are probably already arriving in the town.
Nevertheless, ghastly though this mix-up was, and leaving aside the possibility that the company may be liable for the cause of the original accident, the depth of feeling over what cannot have been anything other than an innocent mistake should give pause for thought. The tragic loss of these men’s lives has triggered what has become the automatic reaction among Americans that someone else has to be to blame. That demand to find a culprit has been magnified by the erroneous raising and then dashing of the hopes of the affected families.
Mining is a dangerous business anywhere, not just in countries like China where clearly safety standards have often been ignored. It may yet emerge that Sago Mine accident was just that, an accident that could not have been avoided in what is always a risky environment, however many precautions are taken. At this moment of such profound grief it may seem a hard thing to say, but the reality is that miners know the dangers of their work. In one way therefore this bitter storm of recrimination actually belittles their courage.
