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CNN Live Saturday
Two Missing Miners West Virginia; No Word On Kidnapped American Journalist Jill Carroll In Iraq; Stocks Take A Big Tumble Wall Street Nervous; St. Louis News Photographer Saves Car Fire Victim; FEMA To Take Over Control Of The Apartment Leases from States; Violence In New Orleans; Xavier University Students Return; Whale In The River Thames; Miner News Conference
Aired January 21, 2006 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Unfolding this hour, praying for a miracle in West Virginia. Fire traps two miners, their conditions are unknown. This hour, the difficult task of getting to them before it's too late.
On the ground in Iraq, new pleas being made for the safe release of kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll.
And from London, a really big fish story, continuing efforts to save a whale which took a wrong turn.
Welcome to CNN I'm Fredricka Whitfield. A busy hour ahead including an interview with a TV news photographer who was credited with saving the life of a woman trapped inside a burning car. First other headlines "Now in the News."
Kosovo is mourning the death of its president Ibrahim Rugova, a champion of nonviolence in the war-torn region died today, a year after diagnosed with lung cancer. Kosovo was part of Serbia and Montenegro, but the United Nations helped run the region since NATO forces ousted Serb leaders -- Yugoslav troops in 1999.
Former President Gerald Ford remains in a hospital near his California home and his chief of staff says he's still doing well. Ford was admitted a week after coming down with pneumonia. Still no word on when he may be released.
U.S. meat inspectors heading to Japan to try to mend a new rift. Tokyo renewed a ban on U.S. beef after inspectors found a backbone in a shipment of veal. That's considered a mad cow hazard. Japan says it wants assurances U.S. inspection standards are reliable.
On to our top story this hour, and one we have been following since Thursday, the search for two missing miners in Melville, West Virginia. We learned this morning that an underground fire is spreading and the intense heat is hampering rescue efforts. CNN's national correspondent, Bob Franken, is monitoring developments near the -- coal -- the number one mine in that area. You tell me which coal mine it is -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's called here the Aracoma Alma Mine, it is in Logan County, West Virginia, which had been the site of some of the historic battles over unionization, along with Bingo County which is here Baytwan (ph) is. In any case, that's history. What is current now is the tragedy of the pending possible tragedy of the two missing miners.
It's now been 44 hours, almost, since they have gone missing and works against people in a situation like this. What is also working against the rescue effort is what you described with this fire that has re-ignited, the same fire that originally drove them out of the mine. Not an explosion, but a fire causing smoke which caused them -- to lead to -- got lost in the smoke.
At any rate, it has re-ignited, according to the last report, causing more smoke, causing most of the rescue to have to stop while the concentration is been on the fire fighting effort. But in addition to that, the flames themselves and the heat that comes with it causes another hazard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG CONAWAY, STATE MINE SAFETY CHIEF: Part of the problem we are experiencing with the fire is that we're having roof falls. The heat of the fire, deter Yates the mine roof and then what you have is you have a fire burning then you have rock and material that falls on top of that and it's difficult to gain access to -- and it will continue to smolder. It's almost like covering the fire up, but -- also, the roof needs to be supported before we can -- before -- advance into that and the heat has to dissipate. So those are the kind of things we're dealing with.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: The governor of the state says that sometime during the next hour he's planning to hold a briefing. He spends most of his time up at the church where the families have gathered hoping that the gloom that is descending upon this place is replaced by the brightness of good news hoping against hope and hoping against the march of time which is one of the worst enemies they have right now -- Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Bob Franken.
Well, no word at this hour on the fate of American journalist Jill Carroll. Kidnappers in Iraq have threatened to kill her if female Iraqi prisoners aren't freed. Let's go to CNN's Michael Holmes in Baghdad for an update -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Fredericka. Yeah, that's right, now four days since that tape of Jill Carroll was aired on the Al-Jazeera television network, more than two weeks now since she was kidnapped after trying to get an interview with a senior Sunni political. As you said, no word on Carroll's fate today, but we are told there's plenty of activity in Baghdad.
Talks going on between various groups, religious and political and more calls also for Jill Carroll to be released, the latest from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a delegation flying here into Baghdad. And a spokesman saying that releasing Carroll would show to the world that Muslims are a caring people.
Fredricka, the justice ministry in Baghdad, again, reiterating a position it has that the release of six Iraqi women held by the U.S. on suspicion of insurgent-related activity should go ahead. Now, the U.S. military says it is going through normal procedures when it comes to processing these women's cases, but nothing's going to be done as a result of the demands of the kidnapper that the U.S. release all Iraqi women prisoners it's holding -- Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Holmes in Baghdad, thank you.
Well, more bloodshed this weekend in Iraq, including the car bomb killing today of two police officers in Baqubah. Earlier, two Iraqi army officers shot dead in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, two others wounded. In Baghdad, police say a car bomb near a market killed one civilian and wounded five others.
The American Army officer accused of suffocating an Iraqi general in 2003 could soon know his fate. Closing arguments are scheduled today in Colorado in the court-martial of Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer. The Iraqi officer was being interrogated when he died. A military medical examiner says he had been placed head first into a sleeping bag, bound with electrical cord and sat on a -- sat on by Welshofer. Prosecutors say commanders had not approved the interrogation technique.
For investors on Wall Street this is a weekend to nervously wait for Monday to roll around. By yesterday's closing bell, stocks had taken a big tumble. The Dow slid 213 points, its biggest one-day point loss in almost three years. Experts say the plunge was fueled by rising energy prices and lackluster earning reports.
Well, less than two weeks before he delivers his State of the Union Address, President Bush is focusing on the economy. In his weekly radio broadcast, Mr. Bush talked about soaring healthcare costs, tax cuts, and some other economic issues. To Washington now and CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you Fredricka. That's right, President Bush today, in the radio address, touted the economy saying it was strong and also saying that he believes small businesses and helping small businesses are what will help the economy continue to move forward.
Now, the president essentially echoing the message that he delivered earlier this week when he visited a small moving company in nearby northern Virginia. In the president's view, small businesses, but also tax relief, are major economic drivers. Today, he said that's evidenced by low unemployment, now at 4.9 percent. High productivity and high rates of home ownership. The president today also repeated a familiar call to Congress.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Keep our economy growing and our small business sector strong. We need to assure you keep more of what you earn so Congress needs to make the tax cuts permanent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Democrats, meantime, say the president's economic policies do not do enough to address the needs of middle class families and one glaring example, they say, of that, are the high costs of energies, specifically of home heating costs. Now, the president insists that energy costs are a priority for his administration and that his administration is working to make America more energy independent. At the same time, though, Fredericka, the White House acknowledges that this certainly is a challenge -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, indeed. Thanks so much Elaine at the White House.
Well coming up, a whale of a tale from Great Britain. We'll get a live update of this morning's "Whale Watch," also, rebuilding New Orleans. I'll speak with two college students who are betting on the Big Easy's future.
And we'll hear from a television photographer who became part of the story when he saw someone in need right in front of his camera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider, with a look at your "Cold and Flu Report" for Saturday.
As we take a look at the map, you'll find outbreaks of the flu across much of the country. Widespread outbreaks in the Southwest including Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, with only no activity reported in South Carolina., the rest of the country reporting sporadic or regional outbreaks of the flu so far this season. And local activity in the northern tier of the U.S.
That's a look at your "Cold and Flu Report" for Saturday. Have a great weekend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A St. Louis man is lucky to be alive following an auto accident that could have cost him his life. Corey Abernathy was trapped in the burning car after he lost control of the vehicle yesterday and it struck a building. Photographer Bobby Hughs with FOX 2 News St. Louis arrived on the scene shortly after the accident. Here's what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): This is the scene after Corey Abernathy slammed into a building at Grand and North Market. Police say he lost control of the car, it flipped then crashed into a building. Our cameraman, Bobby Hughs, who was on the scene suddenly realized he had to do more than tape the incident.
BOBBY HUGHES, FOX 2 NEWS CAMERAMAN: Help him. Grab him. Get him away from his car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A passenger in the car, and Abernathy survived. And his family is grateful, today. One of Abernathy's brothers was worked as a paramedic and he's been on similar calls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mostly they are -- they become victims, fatale victims. You know. That car burned from the front. If it was the back, it would have exploded. You know? So god was in the working, there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With help from a few bystanders, Bobby pulled the man about 20 feet to safety. But this isn't the first time Hughs was in the right place at the right time.
HUGHES: Back in July of 2003, I had an incident similar to this. Once again, the people standing around didn't know what to do and you can't just sit there and watch somebody burn up in their car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The camera man that pulled him out, you know, how he just happened to be there, I don't know. But I'm thanking him and thanking god at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen people pulled from the vehicles and so forth, but never someone in your family. You know? This is just emotional and can't describe it, the emotion that you go though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a very lucky man to have gotten out of that car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. And that report coming from our affiliate FOX 2 News in St. Louis. Bobby Hughs joins us now from St. Louis with more on this dramatic rescue.
Bobby, good to see you.
HUGHES: Good morning.
WHITFIELD: Well, that was really very courageous. But lets backpedal a little bit and let's talk about how you even came upon this accident scene and how you decided to think so quick and put yourself into action the way you did.
HUGHES: Well, fortunately, I was kind of close to the area there and I was monitoring my police radios and I heard the call for an accident and they didn't say there was a fire involved or anything and I drove up to the scene and first thing I saw was a vehicle on fire against the building. And I saw several people standing outside and of course, I thought everybody had gotten out of the vehicle when a lady said, no, there's somebody still inside. Well I...
WHITFIELD: And that's how you knew somebody was inside? Because someone else could see or ...
(CROSSTALK)
HUGHES: Right.
WHITFIELD: Go ahead.
HUGHES: They said that, you know, that one person had gotten out of the vehicle but there was still somebody inside. So, I approached and I couldn't see in the vehicle and then there were a couple of small explosions from under the engine, so I backed off a little bit and then I saw the man's head pop up from the passenger window.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
HUGHES: And he -- he collapsed and fell outside the vehicle, so I ran around. Didn't even realize I had the camera still rolling and noticed he was on fire and the instinct said get him away from the car, so I just incorporated everybody that was there to help get him away.
WHITFIELD: My goodness. And you know, the quandary for every photographer is, you know, you continue shooting especially when you're a news photographer -- continue shooting or you actually set down your camera. You did both, because just looking at the tape, you can see that you're actually trying to pull the one person who's on the outside of the car and the passenger side, while at the same time, you've got your right hand on the camera, I presume, and you're still rolling.
HUGHES: Right. It's a -- I've been shooting news so long, that camera is part of my body now. So, I didn't -- I didn't even realize that, you know, it was rolling and my first thought was to get the guy away.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. And then once you got to the other passenger who was inside and you were able to pull him out, through all of this, at some point, you had to be thinking about your own safety, weren't you?
HUGHES: It just -- it just instinct takes over. I mean, you saw from the package this happened to me just a couple of years ago. And, in that instance, I did set my camera down and it was a little bit more physical activity. I actually had to break a window and crawl in the vehicle and pull the lady out. But, you know, this case, it was just -- I thought nobody was in the vehicle and then when I realized there was, you know, I just sprinted across and started what I knew I had to do.
WHITFIELD: Did you do anything or was there every a thought when you had to say, OK, now how do I protect myself at the same time trying to help this person inside?
HUGHES: No. Not really. I mean, I've been to so many vehicle fires and you see them in the movies and they explode and all this, but you know, you have a little bit of time to act there. I mean, just a few more minutes and I think it would have been too late for this individual and I'm just, you know, grateful that he's gotten out of the vehicle. He's in the hospital now, he had some pretty serious injuries. He was critical yesterday, but I think he's been upgraded...
WHITFIELD: Wow. You say you're grateful. You know how much Corey Abernathy is grateful as well as his family that you stepped to the plate like this.
HUGHES: I hope to be able to visit him in the hospital this week. I just -- you know, I kind of get a connection to these people after a while, and just, you know, it's just, it's something that my -- my instinct, I guess.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, that was so courageous of you. And I know the family members and everybody who was nearby is so incredibly grateful that you were able to do what you did. And give us a follow- up and let us know how your visit with Corey Abernathy and any of the other family members does progresses later on this week.
HUGHES: Thank you very much, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Bobby Hughes, good to see you.
Well, straight ahead, an update on that London whale. Is it a smart choice to live in New Orleans about now? Straight ahead, we'll hear from two college students who think it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: As many as 50,000 families displaced by hurricanes last year remain in federally subsidized apartments in Texas and other states. The families were due to be evicted by March first and this week, FEMA announced it will take over control of the apartment leases from the states and the deadline will be extended. Houston Mayor Bill White, an outspoken critic of FEMA's leasing program is relieved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR BILL WHITE, HOUSTON: I believed that FEMA would come through because the American people have a lot of common sense. It's sort of unfortunate that they waited until almost the deadline when we were going to have to send out notices to the landlords, but I've gotten consistent assurances from FEMA. I've wanted it to be in writing. We've been relentless of getting something in writing so the people didn't stiff us. And today, we got the written confirmation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And one other note, January 30 is the deadline for evacuees in hotel rooms to register with FEMA to stay beyond a February 7 deadline.
Meanwhile, New Orleans is pleading for its displaced residents to come home. Recently many of them recently responded to an invitation to get reacquainted with the city. But a story first seen on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," there are concerns that New Orleans is no longer safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A massive turnout for unity. A parade organized by community clubs. One of the first real chances here to urge friends and neighbors to come back to New Orleans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, without this right here, there is no New Orleans, this is like the heart beat, you know, the pulse.
CALLEBS: But it ended with gunshots and chaos. Three people were wounded, all survived. The gunman got away, but not the fear he created.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor want everybody to come home. How you going to come home when you coming home to the same thing?
CALLEBS: Jayda Atkinson and her family have been in Atlanta since Katrina. She went back to New Orleans for the big gathering to see her friends and her neighborhood and decide whether to move back. But today she regrets making that trip.
JAYDA ATKINSON, FMR. NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: You would think that the situation we came out of, that crime would be the last thing in the back of their -- in their minds. You know? Where is the hatred coming from?
CALLEBS: She and others say scores of people at the parade were either just moving back or making plans to. The shooting, some say, definitely changed minds. Atkinson, for one, plans to stay in Atlanta for good and just got a job offer.
ATKINSON: Really? OK, when do I start?
CALLEBS: Even without the Atlanta job offer, she says, she wouldn't come back.
ATKINSON: I don't want to be going back if the violence is getting worse than it was before. And there's not no protection there.
CALLEBS: Police superintendent Warren Riley says there is protection.
WARREN RILEY, NEW ORLEANS POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: New Orleans is a very calm, very peaceful city right now, as it relates to crime fighting.
CALLEBS: Attacks like the parade shooting have convinced many evacuees that violent crime is up. But Riley says crime never been lower. Before the hurricane, police arrested about 450 people a day. Now it is just 75 a day. In fact, Riley says, there have been just six murders in the four months since Katrina. Before, there were four to six a week. Riley says New Orleans is no longer one of the most violent cities in the country and here's the main reason.
RILEY: Crime is lower, obviously, because probably 65, 70 percent of our population is staying at some other place right now.
CALLEBS: Community clubs and the parades are staples here bringing neighbors together and the people here are determined to do that, especially now.
TAMARA JACKSON, PARADE ORGANIZER: When you come back for one event, and it's taking place, it's kind of -- it's hurtful. So I can understand, but all I can do is encourage for everybody to come back and let's rebuild together.
CALLEBS: For some, that invitation rings hollow, the threat of violence, real or perceived, is enough to make some say no thanks. But Tamara is determined.
(on camera): Give the city a chance?
JACKSON: Give us a chance. Give us a chance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That was Sean Callebs reporting. Well, among thousands of college students who have returned to the Crescent City, this month, in fact, are Chantelle Parker and George Adesino, both attend Xavier University.
We first spoke with them when they were forced to abandon the studies following Hurricane Katrina and they were both staying in the Texas area and talked a couple months back, that you couldn't wait to get back to New Orleans. Well, welcome back to our air and welcome back to New Orleans, now that you are back enrolled for spring semester. Good to see both of you, Chantelle and George.
GEORGE ADESINO, XAVIER UNIV. STUDENT: You too.
CHANTELLE PARKER, XAVIER UNIV. STUDENT: Good to see you, too.
ADESINO: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chantelle, let begin with you. What are your impressions? Was it, your return ,everything that you expected it to be post-Katrina?
PARKER: It was. Clearly, the -- Katrina's devastation is still evident throughout the city and the school, but we're just so surprised that we were able to get to this point, you know, so soon after the hurricane, and after all the aftermath and everything like that. So, it is everything that we expected.
WHITFIELD: Well, George, how about being back on campus? Is it like old times?
ADESINO: The sights and the surroundings aren't, but that's not really what makes Xavier, Xavier. It's the people and the spirit that we carry with us. So, I mean, seeing the friends and seeing my old professors, that's what I longed for and that's what I'm getting now. So, I'm essentially happy no matter what happens. WHITFIELD: But still, there is a lot of work to be done on campus, right? A lot of reconstruction that has to take place. Dorm life isn't quite what it used to be. So, how much of a distraction is going to be for you, George, when you get back to your studies?
ADESINO: Actually, like I said, last time, we were interviewed; we are really focused and determined, so all of these things aren't really going to serve as a distraction. I know for me, I was prepared to go to Xavier out of my car if you had to. You just have to be motivated and do what you have to do, and not let things around you distract you.
WHITFIELD: And Chantelle, among some of the challenges you're facing, you being a pharmacy student, you apparently would have had to rotations at one portion of this year, but the year's going to be elongated because of this kind of delay. How much of a challenge or distraction is that going to be for you?
PARKER: Well, we're just informed that they're going to do everything that they can as far as administration and faculty is concerned so that we can graduate on time. especially my class. We are still looking at a May 2007 graduation date which makes us more than happy. We're just so elated we don't have, to, you know -- the repercussions of the hurricane and we don't have to stay in school, you know, any additional time.
WHITFIELD: And George, you're a pre-med student. In what way is -- are these challenges in any way going to affect your program?
ADESINO: Like I said before, you know, applying for medical school and getting letters of recommendation have been that much harder and it's really pushed the whole entire process back. Like some of our counterparts, you know, at other schools have been hearing from schools before we have, but our pre-med office has been doing everything in their power to get us back on track, get us where we need to be so, I mean, they're doing everything they can and it's just up to the students put their part in, to make sure that success is inevitable.
WHITFIELD: All right. And quickly before I let you guys go, there are a lot of your fellow student who didn't choose to come back. Are you on the phone trying to convince them maybe you should come back to Xavier after all?
PARKER: We had a count yesterday and less than 10 students didn't -- you know ...
(CROSSTALK)
PARKER: ... as far as my class and the college of pharmacy is concerned. So, we, you know, want everybody -- the spirit isn't broken. You know? So, we want everybody to remain hopeful and everything, but some people had to do what was best for them in their situation at the time and we understand that.
WHITFIELD: All right, well good luck to both of you for the rest of your time there at Xavier. I think you've got just about a year left, Chantelle and George, less than a year if everything works out as planed, right, for both of you? All right, Chantelle Parker and George Adesino, thanks so much and good luck to you in the school year and the semester.
ADESINO: Thank you.
PARKER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, Britain's capital is all abuzz over a lost whale. The injured whale took a wrong turn swimming into the River Thames all the way past Big Ben and the houses of the parliament. For hours rescuers have raced against time in a bid to save the animal. CNN's Jim Boulden is in London.
And Jim, I'm smiling because it sounds like we're close to a happy ending. Right?
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredericka, I have to pull back on that one that a little bit. We -- the good story was that the whale was deemed healthy enough to be put on a barge and that's what we saw about three hours ago. They decided they could put this whale onto a barge and head out to sea. We're now told it is race against time because the whale is feeling a great deal of stress or showing a great deal of stress on the barge trip.
We're told it may be another three hours until they hit what's call the estuary which is near the mouth of the Themes and maybe another four hours until it gets to the open sea. And it is showing a great deal of stress. We've just spoken with a man who is onboard this barge that is taking the whale and he says that they may have to release it early
END
BOULDEN: four hours until it gets to the open sea. And it is showing a great deal of stress. We have just spoken within a man who's on board this barge that is taking the whale and he says that they may have to release it early because of so much stress that it's feeling, or they still have the option, though they're not considering it yet but they have the option that they might not be able to release the whale and in fact might have to put the whale down.
So, bit of sobering news in the last few moments and that's because the whale was healthy enough to get on to the barge and go on this trip but it's the trip that's causing stress, especially because it's several tons of weight from the whale sitting on this barge, and it's not used to being outside of water. It's not used to having to -- its own -- carry its own weight and where the problem is at the moment -- Fredricka..
WHITFIELD: Oh, Jim, this is potentially heartbreaking. So while they have the whale then on the barge, at least the pictures we are looking at from the aerial view, they're continuing to douse with it water because that's the best that they can do, given the kind of circumstances they have to try to I guess offer it some sort of comfort and hydration. Right? Hydration for its skin, right?
BOULDEN: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. They need to do that, of course, as you said, to be lubricated. They also say that they have KY Jelly available to keep it lubricated.
What happened earlier today, about 12:30 London time, is when the tide of the river was at its lowest. They were able to get into the water and stand in the Thames and hold the whale and keep it -- about two dozen experts, some two vets and four biologists and some many, many volunteers who work with animals -- and they actually made a health assessment and they were able to see exactly what damage -- there's abrasions on the face, a cut on the eye.
But they did say that it was healthy enough to make this trip or at least to try to make the trip. And what they're doing now, as they say, is a race against time, because it's been out of the water now for at least two hours.
It may have another three hours to go, and that's a long time for this whale who's obviously very disoriented, probably very hungry and certainly was injured somewhat during the last 24 hours here in the Thames. It is just that time on the barge that's causing them a great deal of worry -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, so sad. All right. Jim Boulden, thanks so much. Of course, fingers are crossed. Hopefully things will turn around for the better for the whale.
Well, as rescue teams search for two more miners in West Virginia, just how safe is the mining industry overall? Coming up, we'll look at what's done to improve the odds.
And why hasn't the U.S. been able to track down Osama bin Laden?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look now at our top stories. The fate of an American journalist being held hostage in Iraq is still unknown. Kidnappers have threatened to kill Jill Carroll unless all Iraqi women in military custody are freed. Carroll was kidnapped January 7th. A U.S.-based Muslim group arrived in Baghdad today to plea for her release.
In Melville, West Virginia, the search continues for two miners missing since a fire broke out at a coal mine there on Thursday. Rescuers drilled a 200-foot hole into the mine earlier today, hoping the men might be able to signal their location. Officials say smoke in the mine is complicating efforts to reach the men.
This is the second tragic mining accident in West Virginia within three weeks. It's also a grim reminder that coal mining is a very dangerous business. As Tom Foreman reports, the coal industry is looking to new technology to help improve mine safety.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The dangerous job of coal mining is coming into the computer age. This is a virtual reality mining simulator. It lets miners experience working conditions, problems, and even potential disasters, like a sudden plume of explosive coal dust, all without risk.
A handful of international companies are now marketing such systems. And, in the wake of the latest mine tragedies, the American mining industry is very interested.
Bruce Watzman is with the Mining Association.
BRUCE WATZMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN RESOURCES, NATIONAL MINING ASSOCIATION: Since 1970, fatality rates have come down 92 percent. And we have seen a commensurate reduction in injuries as well. So, we have made dramatic improvement. We have more work to do. And we will do that.
FOREMAN: As Congress takes up mine safety next week, the association will conduct its own examination. Larry Grayson, a former miner, now an engineering professor at the University of Missouri- Rolla, will lead the effort.
LARRY GRAYSON, ENGINEERING PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI- ROLLA: Prevention is always the number-one way of doing it. The way you prevent is to do every aspect of the jobs that need to be done, all the tasks for every job, in a very thorough way.
FOREMAN: Some areas to scrutinize, heavy equipment use, it has sped up production and taken over the most dangerous work in the past 30 years, but equipment accidents remain the biggest cause of injury and death below ground.
Cave-ins, always a problem, especially in coal mines, and the next biggest cause of casualties. And explosions -- monitoring of explosive gases has greatly reduced this threat to miners. But, of course, when a mine does blow up, the fatalities can be numerous.
(on camera): The committee will consider many ideas to aid safety, new technology, perhaps more stringent inspections. But the training of young miners will be a key component.
(voice-over): Booming worldwide demand for coal is bringing inexperienced hands to the mines, as the old generation retires.
GRAYSON: And when new miners are coming in, it's especially important to get them trained and up to speed with these kinds of situations.
FOREMAN: Mining is dangerous work, but the entire mining community is now asking if it can't be at least a little bit safer.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Osama bin Laden resurfaced again on tape, warning of another attack on the U.S. But he also offers a truce. CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre looks at why it's been so difficult to capture bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): There were some people in the U.S. military who thought maybe Osama bin Laden might have died, given that he hadn't been heard from in over a year. At the very least, senior Pentagon officials thought he was lying so low that he was reduced to being a symbolic leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I suspect that, in any event, if he's alive and functioning, that he's probably spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid being caught.
MCINTYRE: The new audiotape, thought to have been recorded in December, provides few clues to bin Laden's condition or location. The U.S. thinks the al Qaeda leader is still holed up in a lawless tribal region of Pakistan, avoiding too many trips into neighboring Afghanistan, where U.S. Special Forces commandos are waiting to take him dead or alive. But with no hard intelligence about his whereabouts, experts say the truth is bin Laden could be almost anywhere.
LT. COL. STEPHEN DONEHOO (RET.), U.S. ARMY: He certainly could be in Iran, he could be in parts of Baghdad that we wouldn't know about. I mean, there are places where he could be completely hidden. It took us a long time to find -- to find Saddam Hussein. It takes a long time to find these people.
MCINTYRE (on camera): The manhunt for Osama bin Laden is not as much a physical search as it is an intelligence-gathering exercise. And, ultimately, the U.S. believes it will get bin Laden the same way it got Saddam Hussein -- when someone who knows where he is gives him up.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And momentarily, we expect an update out of West Virginia on the continued search for the two miners who trapped as the fire continues to burn in that mine. And when that press conference happens, we'll be able to bring that to you live. You're seeing them setting up, getting ready for it.
Well meantime, some who live in Pakistan have more than terrorists to worry about. Straight ahead, we'll get an update on how earthquake survivors are coping with a very long, cold, bitter winter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Three months after a devastating earthquake, life in parts of Pakistan is a struggle beyond belief. Many people still have no homes, just like tents. And even those don't offer much protection against the bitter cold. Dan Rivers reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): Forced to pray out in the cold, because their mosque has collapsed, the villagers of Moori Patan are drawing strength from their faith at the worst of times.
The basics of daily life are a real struggle here. Making tea involves collecting water from an icy spring, and then a long walk through the snow. Most houses are just a shell. A few families are brave enough to live in what remains, despite the risk of an aftershock bringing the whole lot crashing down.
All electricity has been cut off since the earthquake. It's more like the Middle Ages, rather than the 21st century. But many people here are in tents. It's a daily battle to keep them up when the snow is falling. And it is a battle that some are losing.
(on camera): It's been snowing all night. You can see, some of these tents have actually collapsed. The people inside have spent half the night with this huge weight of freezing snow lying on top of them. And the conditions really are getting steadily worse and worse. And, for these people, it is really just completely desperate now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These tents cannot sustain the -- the -- the -- the weather -- the weather conditions, of snowfall conditions. So, I'm afraid either these people have to be dislocated from there. They have to come down to safer areas, more plain areas, because they cannot -- they will not be in a position to prolong their stay there.
RIVERS (voice-over): They lack warm clothes and proper shelter. But these people have nowhere else to go.
(on camera): The people of Moori Patan lost a quarter of their population in the earthquake, yet, three months on, they are still dying from cold and from illness. We are about to leave the village now, but these people face many more weeks of a bitterly cold winter.
(voice-over): Our descent is not easy. The path is treacherously slippery, and there's a 1,000-foot drop on one side. Even when we reach what passes for a road, we have to dig our way through landslides and run the gauntlet of falling rocks.
For children like little Raymond (ph), the journey is too risky. We left some medicine for his eye infection, but there are many others without help.
We left Khartoum (ph) grieving with her family for tiny Pavin (ph), the daughter who died from the cold just before we arrived -- her tiny shoes still lying by the door. And we left baby Sudhir (ph), born a month after the earthquake which killed his father, fighting a fever he has had for two weeks.
There are many villages like Moori Patan, where the cold is slowly taking the vulnerable.
(SINGING)
RIVERS: Where the destruction and desperation are overwhelming.
Dan Rivers, ITV News, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And momentarily, out of Melville, West Virginia, we're expecting an update on the two trapped miners situation there, as rescuers continue to try to reach the two that have been separated from the other group of miners. More on that when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, not far from the West Virginia mine where searchers continue to look for two trapped miners, is our Bob Franken. And Bob, we understand that a press conference is just getting underway soon. They're still setting things up. What are we expecting to hear?
FRANKEN: Well, it's -- they've held information very close to the vest, Fredericka, but what we got last time was somewhat of a pessimistic report, particularly from the people who are in charge of the rescue effort, both state and federal, that they were dealing with unexpected fires that were reducing visibility, that they now were preoccupied much more with putting out those fires underground so they could move forward.
This has been sort of something that's been manic depressive. Good news of progress is oftentimes followed by more pessimistic news and then, you get an impression that perhaps there's going to be positive news. The positive news, of course, would be that they have managed to bring the fires under control.
At any case, what we are told is that it is not going to be anything definitive where we're going to learn about the fate of the miners, at least as we speak to you this second. Under the normal routine that has developed here, the sad routine, the governor and his officials go up the church, just up the street, first to brief those who are up there so anxiously waiting.
And then they come down and talk to the media and, of course, the world that watches to find out if anything of a definitive nature has been found over the disappearance of those two miners who went missing in the mine after they were escaping the smoke from a fire that erupted on a conveyor belt. That was at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday.
The search has been going on and has been hampered, as I mentioned, all by the fire and flames and all that they have been encountered underground. And, of course, time is considered the enemy here but I get the impression that perhaps this may be more upbeat -- Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: And, Bob, you mentioned the fire that erupted, separating the two miners who are currently trapped. There were other miners who were with them. They managed to escape unharmed, right?
FRANKEN: Right. They did escape unharmed or relatively unharmed. By the way, I should point out that behind me, the governor has just arrived and, yes, they did escape unharmed. And what happened is they did not really know that two of their number were missing until they got up there because the visibility was so bad.
There is no formal explanation about how that happened, but it's the kind of thing that has a plausible explanation that it occurred when people were putting on their respirators. Anyway, as I said, we're going to get some more definitive answers in a couple of minutes.
WHITFIELD: Sure. And, Bob, you mentioned you saw the governor pulling up. And now we're seeing the live shot picture of him actually walking into the room where a host of other people look like they're going to be, if not on the backdrop, then perhaps even stepping up to the mic to explain. In fact, let's listen in right now.
DOUG CONAWAY, W. VA. MINE SAFETY CHIEF: ... problems with the fire expanding out. We're right at this point. We feel that we have contained the fire and the numbers -- and Jesse is going to go over those, but they look as good as they ever looked, so what we're hearing from them are our efforts paid off on that and we may have that contained a lot better than we have before.
What we have done is we have moved over into the -- into the number 10 panel. And we're coming at it from both ends. We have got the teams up here that are started down in and we are coming -- we've had a team that came in from the lower side.
The mine rescue team has made it all the way up to the lower end of the panel, and has started up inside to the panel. So, we're hitting the number 10 panel from both directions -- Jesse.
JESSE COLE, MINE SAFETY & HEALTH ADMIN.: Some of the things that indicate that the fire's under the best control we have had it pretty much since we started fighting it, up in the bore hole -- it's up in this area, the bore hole at 10:00 a.m. showed 89 parts per million carbon monoxide. That's the lowest it's been since we started taking measurements up there.
The fan down here at this end, the ethyl fan shows at 10:00 a.m., 69 parts per million. Those are samples that were analyzed on a gas chromatograph and they're actual samples taken from the two sites.
That shows we made somewhat of a ventilation change out here so we have pressure drops this way in order for this 10 air gate to be ventilated out by with the exception of the end most by entries -- be ventilated out by with clean air and that's going to give us the most rapid rate of advancement that we have been able to have since we've been here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys, for these individuals, let's keep it brief because we need to get them back to the mine. Let's take about three questions.
QUESTION: What's the width and length of the number 10 panel, please?
CONAWAY: Jesse?
COLE: It's just about a mile long. If you remember, if you look at this, this was about two miles deep. And this is about half way. Now, it may be just a shade less than that. But it's -- when it comes to the traveling, you're thinking about a pretty good distance.
QUESTION: Could the miners survived? Could the miners have made it out any other way than coming back around through the area of the fire? In other words, do those long passageways that you've illustrated there, could they have made their way down through there and out the bottom? Is there any other way they could have gotten out if they -- or could be making the way to safety if they survived?
COLE: When you asked that question, before, we talked about -- there was a similar question -- we talked about we don't know what the interior of these panels hold until we actually travel those so when you talk about that, that's just one avenue that they may have used.
CONAWAY: When we see it today, or hopefully if we see those today, those conditions there, that doesn't necessarily indicate what that condition was at the time of the initial fire.
QUESTION: How many teams coming down are focused just on searching for the miners.
COLE: Six.
CONAWAY: Six, seven teams underground right now.
QUESTION: Just focused on searching for miners?
CONAWAY: No. Five -- we have two still on the fire. Five are focused to search on the mine.
QUESTION: Have the roof all ceased, what were the other conditions around the fire at this time?
CONAWAY: Around the fire, the conditions are that as I said, it's -- we feel that we have contained it as best as we have up to any point up to right now. So, obviously, it's still warm there. It's still -- roof falls are still a concern for the safety of our workers in that area.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
COLE: They have more directly been an I believe to fight the fire. Another thing that somebody asked that we might talk about and we don't have this hole completely down yet, but in case we need it, this hole is probably drilled something like 500 feet over the fire area, drilled down a six inch hole and that was our next resort if we didn't gain control from underground. We could have injected either water in large quantities or foam in order to fight the fire. It is difficult to fight, as Doug illustrated earlier this morning. It's layered with rock, because the roof collapse made it difficult to get in and fight it direct, but the teams that worked so diligently at that effort that we have come a long ways with it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, guys. Thanks for the briefing. We appreciate the update. At this time, we'll welcome in West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin as well as United States Congressman Nick Rahall for some brief comments. They have been spending time with the families, again, at the church, and the governor can speak about the mood of the families at this hour.
GOV. JOE MANCHIN, WEST VIRGINIA: Let me just say thank you again for all of your prayers and all of the wonderful offerings that we are receiving from the standpoint of just food that people are bringing to the church to all their well wishes for the rest of the family. We are over 43 hours -- 43 hours that we are into right now.
Families are still strong. West Virginia families are strong as I've always told you that. And, we keep pulling together and we get stronger as we rely on each other.
And, these are the greatest families and greatest people because of the work they do and love of their family and the family support and the love of the job they do and the love of their state and the love of their country. So you won't find any finer people in the world than you'll find in West Virginia.
With that, I asked the family if they wanted me to officially tell the press the names, and I think you know there's a lot of different things going around, but I don't know if it's beneficial yet, so they said they wanted to make it official as far as the names of our two miners and a little bit about our two miners.
So with that, our youngest miner is Don. His middle name is Israel -- I-S-R-A-E-L -- Bragg. His wife is Delorice -- D-E-L-O-R-I- C-E. They have two children. They live in Acoville -- A-C-I-V-I-L-L- E -- Acoville, West Virginia. Don is 33 years old. Don has 15 years of mining experience, five years in this mine.
Our next miner is Ellery, E-L-L-E-R-Y -- goes by Elvis Hatfield. His wife is Freda. They have four children. They live in Simon -- S- I-M-O-N. West Virginia. Elvis is 47 years old. He has 12 years of mining experience, five years in this mine. They both started together at the same time.
The families have been very thankful for the respect that you all have shown directly and all of the people and they are all together. They are getting their briefings. We're in a two-and-a half interval with them so they know what exactly is going on. They ask questions. They have been very involved.
They understand the process. They understand the challenges that we have, the odds that we're working with. Most importantly they still have hope. They truly have the hope. I want at this time to also say about all of the brave rescue mine workers that we have coming from all over. All over West Virginia and all over this country. They are assisting in this process. It is one of the largest I have seen.
This many people trying to orchestrate at one time in a mine operation underground and it is a very large mine as you know. We all are very anxious and wanted to expedite this process but with that we still have to take into consideration that we have 40 or more people at a time inside that mine working in a rescue and I repeat, a rescue operation.
We're still very much in a rescue mode. So with that I want to say thank you. You have been very kind and the family thanks you and we're waiting to bring Don and Elvis out and his family and his friends and extended family are waiting for that also.
With that, our Congressman has been with us and he has been right with us through this whole thing and I appreciate so much having him there. I have told you before, when our ordeal is over, I will come back and we'll have a press conference which I think will set the stage for what not only we're going to do in West Virginia, what I believe this country is going to do. We should never be in this situation again.
QUESTION: Governor, why now do the families want this information released?
MANCHIN: The respect -- they thank you. The respect they had before was they were trying to make sure that all extended family members -- they didn't want an elderly grandmother and aunt to hear something. It is to the point now -- there's a lot of people talking. If we're going to do it, we wanted to do it right. You will hear more and putting some personalities to it.
These are hard working people. Hardworking, God loving family loving people. And now you know their names. You know their wife's names and you know how many children they have and you know their ages, you know their experience level in the mines and you know where they live and our towns across West Virginia in Simon and Acoville these are just real West Virginia people.
QUESTION: How do you spell Freda?
MANCHIN: Freda is F-R-E-D-A. Freda's middle initial is G as in good.
QUESTION: Do you know how to spell those?
MANCHIN: No, I don't, and I'm sure that at the proper time the families will be very accommodating for you.
QUESTION: Were the miners contracted workers or ...
MANCHIN: No, and I'm not -- I can't speak really about the mine or mine operations. You are being briefed by federal and state inspectors. They have been briefed by the same. I felt very strong about this. Because that is our responsibility. I want the families to know and I really believe that they know that and that the only interest we have is rescuing the two miners. That's the only interest. That's what we're working towards.
That's what our rescue teams are being directed by our director of the state operations, Doug Conaway and they are working together to make sure that happens. They have that assurance. They are getting reassured every two hours on the hour around the clock knowing what's going on and they are very much involved in this. And it is the way they live their life. It's is the way we all live our life. And we're involved, we want to help each other. We want to know what's going on. And we're making that happen.
QUESTION: Governor, did the families share any concerns that Don and Elvis may have had about safety about inside mine or does that really ...
MANCHIN: They really haven't. No, they haven't. We haven't talked about that. These were miners that knew their job and knew it well. And I understand they enjoyed their job. I have not had those conversations with them whether this or that or anything.
They say that Don and I talked about this and I told him that I want to go in the mine and I want to see because I felt like he's told me so much that I felt like I had been in it. That was my next plan. He was going to try to take me and show me underground where he works.
QUESTION: These families have a great deal of confidence in their loved ones ability and their safety training and their knowledge of the mine and their hopes that the two are together.
QUESTION: Did they talk about concerns they had since Sago because of what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I think this is different. Different situation.
MANCHIN: Well, I have had conversations because I spent a lot of time in Sago and the families and I spoke to families last night that came up to share their concerns and also to share their love with all of our families that we have here and I think that any time that you have a situation that we had such in Sago and such a short time ago, the amount of tragedy that we have at one time in our state, that's a concern for anyone in that profession. I understand they just went through extensive training again and everyone was concerned and they will be able to probably at the time tell you their story and if there were more concerns to it.
They had discussions because Sago was on their mind and I'm sure every one of these miners including Don and Elvis would have had their ideas and thoughts about what should have been done or what they could have done in Sago.
Those are the type of things that go on in all of our families. We talk about our jobs and we talk about how we would do things and help each other. They were probably talking about that. I'm sure Delorice and Freda at sometime will talk more about that.
QUESTION: Can you just clarify what you said a second ago. They were or were not contractors?
MANCHIN: I really don't know. But I understand they were employees but I'm sure that there will be somebody officially that can confirm that but I do not think or did not understand any contractors.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
MANCHIN: I really don't know. They will have to come to that. That's their decision to be made. I'm just making sure that in my capacity as governor working with the Congressman Rahall that we're making sure that everything we can do that you are getting is official from the people that we represent and making sure that, first of all, the families get the accurate information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One last question.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
MANCHIN: Not where I've been. I don't know.
QUESTION: Governor you said you do want to make a more formal statement when this is all resolved however you have been through three weeks of hell dealing with these disasters. Is there a message to the nation's miners and the nation's mine operators today to double check your safety, run through -- what would you as chief executive of this state send as a message to the state's coal miners and mine operators as they watch this tragedy unfold?
MANCHIN: No family should have to go through what we have gone through. I sat through over 80 hours with family members. I became their family and they are my family. They will be with me for the rest of their lives the experiences I had in such a short period of time. With that being said, I'm committed and I have said this, our goal is not to have one accident or one fatality in the state of West Virginia. All of our representatives in Washington have the same feeling that I have.
With that, I'm going to make a statement; this is not the time to do that I will do it before we leave here. It will take some very bold steps and bold action as to what we're going to do in West Virginia and we'll talk about that but I'm never, ever, wanting to set through a situation that we've had to and families endure and human suffering that goes on and the wait, no one, no one in America and it is only because of the strength and love that we have for each other and our love for our god and our state and our country that gets us through it and I can't give you any other explanation but that.
I'll tell you one thing, we'll do everything we can to never put another family in this situation. Yes, I think that the mine owners, I'm sure they want it to be as safe as it possibly can. I just think we need a little bit more. I'll say a lot more of a direction to make that happen and we're going to do that. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With that we'll conclude this briefing. Thank you so much for joining us. Again, we'll come back to you when we have more updates.
WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, you have been listening to Governor Joe Manchin among others involved with the West Virginia mining industry giving an update there on this rescue operation is the way the governor would like it to be termed right now going into its 43rd hour.
Our Bob Franken is there outside the location where the press conference took place and where the search continues for the two missing miners. Bob, what's really interesting is that the governor was underscoring that while they want to get through this hurtle of finding these two miners, they want to take it a step further with the state as well with the mining industry and with the federal government that something has to be done to keep another accident on this scale from happening again.
FRANKEN: It -- well, you know it is interesting Fredricka. This has not been a controversy that's really been in the forefront of the consciousness of the United States until now. There have been some strong battles going on that involve in the case of the state government Governor Manchin is not the favorite of the coal operators.
The coal operators of course have their points of view about how much safety equipment and how expensive the safety equipment has to be that they put in the Bush administration has been accused by somebody that advocates for the miners are saying that they relaxed a bit the stringent controls, the Bush administration argues against that.
But the kind of thing he's talking about is there's a proposal out there for instance that is not made it through Congress that would require mine operators to use on their conveyer belts the kind that caught fire in this mine a more fire proof type of material. Of course that would be expensive to install. That battle has been going on. So there is this constant tension between as I said the operators, the miners, the unions, this is not a union mine and politicians in the two political parties.
We also got the identification of the two miners and good news relatively good news that they seem to be controlling the fires and are now going to be able to advance to use the word of the officials advance into the areas where they have the highest expectation that the two may have retreated.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Bob Franken in Melville, West Virginia, and of course we'll continue to watch this story as it unfolds. The continued rescue operation and search for 33-year-old Don Israel Bragg and 47- year-old Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield there in Melville, West Virginia.
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