TALLMANSVILLE, W. Va. — Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. marked nine years since an explosion at International Coal Group’s Sago Mine in Upshur County trapped 13 miners inside.
At the time, it would be the worst mine disaster in West Virginia in nearly 40 years as there would only be one survivor.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, who was governor on January 2, 2006, took a moment to reflect Friday.
On this sad anniversary, I join all WVians in honoring the twelve miners who were lost tragically at Sago and praying for their loved ones.
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) January 2, 2015
Tom Anderson, Jerry Groves, James Bennett, Junior Hamner, Terry Helms, Marty Bennett, Jesse Jones, Fred Ware, Jr., David Lewis, Jackie Weaver, Marshall Winans and Martin Toler, Jr., all lost their lives as a result of the disaster.
Randal McCloy, Jr., would be found more than a day later with the main group inside of a constructed barrier attempting to block out the deadly levels of methane gas which filled the mine after the explosion.
He would be transported through several hospitals and be treated for various injuries along with carbon monoxide poisoning –the cause of death for the other 12 miners.
Though the cause of the explosion was not officially determined –the leading theory being a lightning strike near the mine set off methane gas in a closed off area with enough force to destroy the seals, which flooded the mine with gas– investigators believed that the deaths were preventable.
The tragedy started a conversation about emergency response procedures, mine safety as well as updating mining laws which had not be looked at in decades.
Among the legislation which came after the disaster included S.B. 247 from the state legislature, which created the Mine and Industrial Accident Rapid Response System, and the MINER Act from the federal government to implement more stringent standards on the mining industry.
The Sago Mine was officially shut down in 2009 by International Coal, due to the price of coal and the costs of production.
However, the effects of the explosion and the memory of those lost nine years ago remain.
Today, we remember the 12 lives lost 9 years ago this morning in the #Sago Mine Disaster. #neverforget #Coal #WV pic.twitter.com/LXvS9ezFYG
— Buckhannon, W.Va. (@BuckhannonWVa) January 2, 2015