Union blames owner, gov't for Sago mine deaths - Reuters

[Eugene]

Union blames owner, gov't for Sago mine deaths

By Jon Hurdle

Thu Mar 15, 8:54 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The main U.S. mining union on Thursday blamed
the Sago mine's owner and regulators for the January 2006 disaster that
killed 12 coal miners in a report the mine owner dismissed as "political
grandstanding."

The United Mine Workers of America said in a report that the tragedy was
the result of a failure to follow federal mine-safety regulations before the
incident, as well as poor decisions during the rescue operation.

The report also cast doubt on a theory -- advanced by the West Virginia
mine's owner, International Coal Group Inc., and regulators -- that the
mine explosion was caused by lightning.

Instead, the union said the blast was probably caused by "frictional
activity" in the steel mesh of the mine's roof which led to a mixture of
methane and air being ignited in a sealed-off area of the mine.

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Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070316/us_nm/mining_sago_dc_1