TALLMANSVILLE, West Virginia (Reuters)-Prayer "Works"...
Twelve missing miners were found alive in a West Virginia coal mine about 40 hours after they fled an explosion that spread lethal gases and killed one of their colleagues, family members said.
Rescue workers located the 12 men, who had been trapped underground since 6:30 a.m. (1130 GMT) on Monday and were bringing them out of the Sago mine in central West Virginia.
Kay Weaver, whose brother-in-law Jack Weaver was in the mine, said family members learned of the rescue when a man burst into the nearby Sago Baptist Church where relatives were waiting, shouting: "It's a miracle, it's a miracle!."
Anna McCloy, whose husband Randall McCloy was rescued said "This is wonderful, wonderful news, they are coming out."
Officials said the man who died appeared to have been dropped off the vehicle carrying his colleagues and was close to the explosion site, while the other 12, many of them veterans of the mine, had been deeper inside.
Church bells rang at the church, where relatives waited fearfully and cheers broke out when the announcement was made. West Virginia officials had tried to maintain hope among the families, saying they should pray for a miracle.
Any hope of finding the men alive had been tempered with heavy caution because early tests found lethal levels of carbon monoxide in the tunnel where they were believed trapped. Each man carried about one hour's worth of clean air.
There had been no communication with the miners since the explosion, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin told reporters.
There was no explanation for the explosion, which occurred in a recently closed section of the mine, that is owned by the International Coal Group Inc. and employs about 145 miners.
"We know that there had to be methane gas, or a buildup of fuel if you will, back there, and there had to be something that sparked it. And no one can speculate on ... what could have happened," Manchin said.
EXPLOSIVE GAS
He said there had been no cave-in but the explosion had broken seals preventing bad air from circulating in the mine as well as gas from the explosion. "Our employees were no doubt trying to find a safe way to exit the mine," he said.
The men had been trapped more than 13,000 feet (4,000 metres) inside the mine.
The man who died was Terry Helms, a 35-year veteran of the mine, his niece Michele Mouser said. "He was a great guy. He was willing to help anybody. He always put anybody else first and himself last," she said.
The incident came four years after nine Pennsylvania coal miners were rescued following a 77-hour ordeal in a flooded mine shaft 240 feet under ground.
The explosion happened when the mine was reopening after being closed for the holidays, said Manchin's spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg.
Since October, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued 50 citations to Sago mine, some as recently as December 21, including citations for accumulation of combustible materials such as coal dust and loose coal.
The mine produces about 800,000 tons of coal annually and employs about 130 people.
