Ben Hatfield Miners Quotations

They felt the percussion and heard the noise. We believe they probably encountered heavy smoke, and the ventilation system was obstructed. They then did what skilled miners do.

At that location they encountered a rough barricade structure. With 12 remaining miners that had been missing since the Monday explosion. Initial reports indicated multiple survivors, but that turned out to be a miscommunication.

The only confirmed survivor is Randall McCloy, who has now been rushed to a local hospital in serious condition. The 11 remaining miners in the barricade structure were determined by the medical technicians on the rescue team to have already deceased.

These miners tried desperately to secure an area of safe breathing environment.