Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Nine Miners Rescued in Pennsylvania

Aired July 28, 2002 - 11:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Our top story this hour, nine for nine. CNN's Brian Palmer is live in Somerset, Pennsylvania with our top story and a good news.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Renay. Good morning, Renay. It's been an arduous and tense three days here, but now with the nine miners rescued, the mood has lifted along with the foul weather that we've been having. Three of the miners were taken to a hospital right here in Somerset; six -- the six other miners were taken to a trauma center in Johnstown, which is just a few towns away. And we got the word on their condition from the doctors just a couple of hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RUSSELL DUMIRE, MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER: They look exceptionally well. I mean, if you were to meet any of these guys on the street right now, you would not know that they were trapped in a cavern full of water for three days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PALMER: Now, as far as what happens next, we've talked to the Department of Environmental Protection. They say the activity is not yet over at the site. The miners are rescued, but they've got to keep the site from becoming a hazard, so they're going to continue to pump the water out. They're going to try and get some of the machinery that they used out of that site, and then they're going to have to seal those shafts that they've dug.

Then they're going to interview the miners. They're going to let the miners spend some time with their families, to reconnect, and just to, you know, to get their strength back. And then they're going to try and figure out how these men survived, what exactly was going on underground. And then an investigation has to start into why this happened in the first place -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Yeah, I was just going to ask you, if the officials have had a chance to talk to the miners that you know of to find out exactly how all of this happened, and also, you know, how they were able to cope while underground.

PALMER: Well, we have, indeed, talked to some of the officials, many of whom have not talked to the miners. Most of the miners went straight to the hospital. I think they may have had some words with people, but what they're saying is, listen, we're not going to debrief them until these folks are over their hypothermia, until they're rehydrated and until they've actually had some time to recuperate, Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: OK, Brian Palmer reporting live from Somerset, Pennsylvania. Thank you very much for that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com