Thursday March 2, 2006 7:31 PM
By Nancy Zuckerbrod
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Rescuers who helped pull victims out of the Sago and Aracoma mine accidents said Thursday they had not yet been interviewed by federal investigators looking into the January disasters.
The wait to contribute to and learn more about the investigations has been difficult, the mine rescuers said during a visit to Capitol Hill that coincided with Senate hearings into mine safety.
``I would like to personally find out what their findings are,'' said mine rescuer Jim Klug. ``We're just as curious as you are.''
The rescuers declined to talk about their experience inside the Sago and Aracoma mines, citing the ongoing investigations into the January accidents in West Virginia. Twelve people were killed at Sago, and two were killed in the fire at the Aracoma mine.
Sam Stavischeck said he'd been a mine rescuer for 22 years but that nothing prepared him for the emotional aspects of the Sago rescue in which the victims were overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning.
``Going to the Sago mine has been one of the roughest things I've ever done,'' Stavischeck said.
Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration, declined to immediately comment on why the men had not yet been interviewed as part of the investigations.
United Mine Workers of America spokesman Phil Smith said he knew of no mine rescuers who had been interviewed to date.
The mine rescuers who came to Washington were vocal about their displeasure over federal rules requiring mine rescue teams to be two hours away from mines. They said teams should be closer and assigned to specific mines.
It costs roughly $250,000 to train and equip a team, they said. Rescuer Harry Powell said it's like insurance, companies ``like it when they need it.''
All of the rescuers are miners, and they say they live with the knowledge that they could end up as victims of accidents like the ones in West Virginia. ``We do exactly the same things those guys did,'' Stavischeck said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5658796,00.html
This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm