TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va. A coal-mine explosion that may have been sparked by lightning trapped 13 miners 260 feet below ground Monday, and rescuers went in to find them after waiting almost 12 agonizing hours for dangerous gases to clear.
The condition of the miners was not immediately known. Four co-workers tried to reach them but stopped because of contaminated air, and the blast knocked out the mine's communication equipment, preventing authorities from contacting the miners.
It was not known how much air they had or how big a space they were in. The miners had air-purifying equipment that would give them up to seven hours of clean air but no oxygen tanks, a co-worker said.
"You just have to hope that the explosions weren't of the magnitude that was horrific from the beginning," Gov. Joe Manchin told CNN. He added: "There's always that hope and chance that they were able to go to part of the mine that still had safe air."
The first of eight search-and-rescue teams entered the Sago Mine more than 11 hours after the blast trapped the miners. Rescue crews were kept out of the mine for most of the day while dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide - a byproduct of combustion - were vented through holes drilled in the ground, authorities said.
Company officials believe the trapped miners were about two miles inside the mine, about 260 feet under the ground. The crew entered the mine on foot for fear of sparking another explosion.
Officials refused to estimate how long it would take to reach the miners. Gene Kitts, a senior vice president at the mine's owner, International Coal Group, described the rescue effort as "a very slow, very careful, methodical process."
The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration sent a rescue robot to the mine, about 100 miles northeast of Charleston.
Some 200 co-workers and relatives of those trapped gathered at the Sago Baptist Church, across from the mine.
Anna McCloy said her husband, Randall, 27, was among those missing. She said he had worked at the mine for three years "but was looking to get out. It was too dangerous."
Coal mine explosions are typically caused by buildups of naturally occurring methane gas, and the danger increases in the winter months, when the barometric pressure can release the odorless, colorless and highly flammable gas.
Lara Ramsburg, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the blast may have been sparked by lightning from severe thunderstorms.
But Roger Nicholson, general counsel for ICG, said that it was not clear what caused the blast and that there was no indication it was methanerelated.
The mine's owner was preparing to drill into the mine to reach the miners.
"These miners are experienced, they are well-trained," Kitts said. "We are just praying they had an opportunity to put their training to use."
ICG acquired the Sago Mine last March when it bought Anker West Virginia Mining Co., out of bankruptcy. In 2004, the Sago Mine produced about 397,000 tons of coal.