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One Miner of 12 Survives Deadly West Virginia Mine Explosion; International Coal Group CEO Holds Press Conference; Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Hospitalized
Aired January 04, 2006 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, CNN Pipeline, a special new service from CNN.com, makes its debut this week.
Richard Lui joins me now live from the CNN Pipeline control room with a behind-the-scenes look.
And I want to know what's happening on pipe four there, Richard. Or, no. Yes. oh, they switched it. It's different now. Never mind.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: See, it changes by the minute, Richard.
RICHARD LUI, CNN PIPELINE: We keep you guessing. That's what we want to do.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you do. Look at that. Two things have already changed. OK. I better keep looking at my computer screen.
LUI: You know, you're going to be our best customer, Kyra.
(LAUGHTER)
LUI: Because, as you have said earlier, you have been watching it all afternoon. And we really love you for that.
PHILLIPS: No problem. I got it up right here.
(CROSSTALK)
LUI: Let's go over and take a look at the player. Maybe we have the same things you do. Maybe Sibila Vargas will actually be on one of the pipes right now, if she's doing the -- the Walk of Fame right now.
I want to go to what we were watching earlier on CNN domestic right now. And that was -- of course, was Dick Cheney. He was at the Heritage Foundation. We're still covering him right now. So, if you wanted to watch that, you could do that on the Pipeline player. As well, if -- if you wanted to get some entertainment stories, you go to select section here, pull it down. You could do a find on all of the top entertainment stories.
You can also pump in right up here, if you want to put Ryan Seacrest and pull from the thousands of videos. Now, I wanted to show this back of the -- the -- behind the -- the factory doors, if you will, because we're at the Web master's den.
And right here, we have Wes (ph).
Hey, Wes (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.
LUI: And he's pulling from all of these back here, as well as information off the net.
He's pulling -- yes, and he is pulling right now all of the feeds right on to the pipes right over there. Now, sometimes, one thing you will notice about the pipes is, they will go black. You will see a reporter that might be going like that. Or you might even see bars, which we don't like to have.
But that's part of Pipeline, the idea, of course, being you get it raw and you get edgy and you get it now. And that's right over there.
Another part of this, Kyra, is that this is the first channel for CNN that is high-def, as well as 16-by-nine. You can see these screens over here. They look a little different, a little bit shorter and a little fatter. So, that's one of the great technology moves by CNN right now, to try this out on Pipeline. Of course, you can cover all of the breaking stories as well.
And you -- you're going to be there watching it, right?
PHILLIPS: Of course I am.
And, you know, it's funny, Richard. Already, I know of a couple people that have their XM Radio. They listen to CNN. So, if they're in their office and they're listening and they want to actually see what's happening, they will click on to CNN.com. And they're now slip -- slipping -- or clicking on to CNN.com/Pipeline. So, they got -- you have got XM Radio. You have got...
LUI: Everywhere.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Yes. I'm telling you, or Pipeline, or dot-com. Or you can just run into the break room at work and see it on television.
There. We are -- we are everywhere.
LUI: That's right, absolutely. Pipeline, that is the idea.
If you don't necessarily have CNN there, you can get it on XM Radio, as you mentioned, as well as on your computer, or you're at work or you're someplace like an airport.
PHILLIPS: All right, Richard, stay with me for a minute. Maybe we can even move you over close towards Wes (ph), because you guys are monitoring the same thing that we are.
LUI: Right.
PHILLIPS: And I'm looking on CNN.com/Pipeline. You have got it on pipe three. And that's the same news conference that we're waiting for right now.
LUI: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Roger Nicholson, the general counsel for International Coal Group, and also Ben Hatfield, the CEO of that company -- both expected to step up to the mike, possibly 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Now, so, is it you and Wes (ph) are monitoring the same thing and you're going to -- you have -- you have already brought it up now on the main -- have you brought it up on the main page yet, or do you have your newscast up right now?
LUI: Yes. What -- what we have got right now is, on pipe one, we have got the normal newscast.
We're waiting, just as you are, on pipe three for those executives and officials to come to the microphones since 10:00 this morning.
PHILLIPS: Right.
LUI: We hope to be able to bring it just as when you do.
And that people -- the people that will be looking at this is Wes (ph), as well as the senior producers. They're keeping their eye on it. And they will bring it to the main pipe when it does come up.
PHILLIPS: Got it. All right.
And I'm actually turning down the volume right now, because I'm actually hearing Pipeline, in addition to hearing myself. There we go.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: All right.
LUI: You are our best customer.
PHILLIPS: I'm trying. I'm trying, Richard.
LUI: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Thank you so much.
LUI: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You're terrific. Thanks for giving us a little behind the scenes there, you and Wes (ph). Well, almost two-and-a-half days since the blast that claimed the lives of 12 West Virginia coal miners, we're waiting for that live news conference.
We have got more news for you, as the third hour of LIVE FROM starts right now.
And, once again, we continue to remember those -- those lives claimed, those 12 lives claimed, in West Virginia's coal mine. And, of course, there's the one critically injured, too, that we have been keeping tabs on. You can't forget Randal McCloy and his amazing story.
Meanwhile, a shattered community is looking for solace and peace and a reasonable explanation, not just out of the accident, but of the miscommunication, some say lies, that, for three joyous hours, had the whole nation believing 12 miners were found alive, only one dead. Headlines rolled off the presses and bells rang at Sago Baptist Church.
But it wasn't true. No one knows exactly where the mistake originated. But we know mine officials knew within 20 minutes the first reports were probably wrong. Still, CEO Ben Hatfield didn't tell families for three hours. Hatfield was scheduled to brief reporters this morning, but hasn't shown up yet.
We're now hearing that he will appear any minute. We also know that the sole survivor of the mine disaster is Randal McCloy, 27 years old, suffering lung and kidney problems and dehydration. He's being treated at West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown.
CNN's Chris Huntington is there -- Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good afternoon.
Randal McCloy Jr., 27 years old, the only survivor of the Sago Mine accident. Here is the latest on his condition. He is still in critical condition, but the doctor who is overseeing his treatment, Dr. Larry Roberts, who is head of trauma here at West Virginia University Medical Center, said he's seeing some improvement.
Earlier today, Randal was able to squeeze the doctor's hand in response to a question. He was able to show facial expressions in response to his wife. His situation with his collapsed lung is improving, as is the blood level of carbon monoxide.
He was breathing on his own when he came here to the hospital here in Morgantown at 3:00 a.m. But he has since been on a breathing tube and with assistance from a ventilator. He's also still on sedation. The doctors don't want to take him completely off the sedatives, although they are trimming it back just a bit.
The fear, if they take him completely off the sedatives, is that he would be become irascible. He would obviously be disoriented. He might potentially rip at some of the tubes, also intravenous saline solution that is going in to try and get his electrolytes up. The doctor said that there is some problem with -- with Randal McCloy's kidneys, that, as a result of the dehydration and the immobilization in the mine there for a couple of days, he's suffering what is technically called some renal disturbance.
Finally, though, the doctor said that he is optimistic that, overall, Randal McCloy's vital signs, his heart, his blood pressure, still very, very strong, and he did -- the doctor did, in answering a question that we posed to him, says that -- that youth certainly plays a factor, that Randal McCloy, 27 years old, in strong physical condition, certainly had, going into this disaster, what it was needed to survive.
There is one crucial question in Randal McCloy's recovery. And that is the degree to which he was deprived of oxygen.
Here's how Dr. Roberts addressed that question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LARRY ROBERTS, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS: What I'm alluding to, with the -- the lack of him being wide awake and fully communicating to us, is, was he deprived of oxygen for a sufficiently long period of time? And we don't know that.
And my -- that -- that's something that -- that time will tell. At the moment, of course, he's getting more than sufficient oxygen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: Now, at the press conference here, just an hour-and- a-half or so ago, we met Randal McCloy's wife, Anna, for the first time publicly coming out to -- to show her support. She looked devastated. She was clutching the hand of the governor's wife, Gayle Manchin. The first lady here of West Virginia is -- is working closely with the McCloy family.
She told us that she's offering all sorts of help, emotional. I asked financial. She said, yes, that would be forthcoming, if need be.
Anna refused to comment upon several questions, but, in the end of the press conference, had this so say. And you do have to listen carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA MCCLOY, WIFE OF RANDAL MCCLOY: Just ask everybody to keep on praying.
QUESTION: Is that what is getting you through?
MCCLOY: Yes. Everybody is praying for him.
QUESTION: And your family support? Getting a lot of family?
MCCLOY: Yes. Yes, lots of family support, right.
QUESTION: And you're happy (OFF-MIKE) I mean, this is a good outcome for your family?
MCCLOY: So far, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Anna and Randal McCloy have a son and daughter. The family is rallying around here. The doctor, when ask how soon could McCloy potentially get out of the hospital, he speculated and said, possibly 10 days Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Chris Huntington, thank you so much.
And, as we monitor, of course, what is continually happening with Randal McCloy, we're also waiting for another live event, could possibly be getting under way any minute now. We're waiting to hear from Ben Hatfield, the CEO of the International Coal Group, and also his general counsel to his company -- a lot of questions still remaining to what happened with regard to the communication about those miners, if they were dead, if they were alive, what -- why did they get certain information that ended up not being true, and where was Ben Hatfield, and why didn't he speak with reporters this morning?
Hopefully, he will be able to answer all those questions once he steps up to the mike. We're being told that they have now entered into the room. And, if you have within watching CNN, you know that that is what we have been talking about a lot within the past couple of hours, and, of course, all morning, is that moment that we saw on live television, you know, just before 3:00 in the morning, where there were -- there were families that actually got word that the miners were alive.
And you saw it on the front page of newspapers. And, then, all of a sudden, you saw on our air somebody coming forward with bated breath saying, it's not true; they're not alive.
Now we're hoping to get more answers, as Ben Hatfield, CEO of the international coal group, steps up to the mike. Obviously, it looks like they're going to give some type of presentation. They walked in with charts. And it looks like they are going to give some type of presentation, possibly behind him as well.
Let's listen in, see what he has to say.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BEN HATFIELD, PRESIDENT & CEO, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: We will give you a moment to get situated.
PHILLIPS: All right.
As -- as he's letting reporters get organized, and while he and his chief counsel get organized, I'm going to tell you, also, that you can click on to CNN.com/Pipeline to watch this as well. HATFIELD: ... our information is -- is correct. And we will try to keep you timely informed.
Again, my name is Ben Hatfield. I'm president and CEO of International Coal Group. And I would like to read you a prepared statement. And, then, we will give you the opportunity for questions.
We would like to provide an update on developments relating to the Sago Mine disaster since our last media briefing. As last reported, the mine rescue teams reached the furthest extent of the two left section around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday evening and located the 12 remaining miners.
Sadly, only one of the 12 miners was still alive, and his condition was assessed as extremely critical.
The mine rescue teams did an exceptional job of providing lifesaving medical care to stabilize the lone survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., and transporting him promptly to the mine portal.
At last report, Mr. McCloy's in stable condition at the Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.
HATFIELD: Although we are incredibly saddened by the loss of 12 of the 13 miners missing since the Monday morning explosion, we want to acknowledge the courageous efforts of the mine rescue teams.
These teams came from across the industry to help in the rescue and recovery effort. The skills, work ethic and courage of these mine rescue teams are indeed remarkable.
The team that found the miners had to provide evaluation and urgent resuscitation and stabilization efforts for the survivor while working under a full face oxygen mask. They then had to load him on a stretcher and physically carry him a distance of 0.6 of a mile before loading him on to a rail transport for the approximately two-mile trip to the mine portal.
During this entire transport period, the rescue teams were working feverishly to administer oxygen and keep Mr. McCloy alive.
The true heroes of this effort are those mine rescue teams that risked their own lives to save those of their fellow coal miners.
At the darkest hour of this rescue effort, we prayed for 13 miracles. Despite our grief and despair at the loss of our 12 co- workers, we want to celebrate the one miracle that was delivered.
We have received many questions and concerns with respect to the timing of events and the tragic miscommunication that caused erroneous jubilation and then incredible grief on the part of the miners' families. We'd like to set the record straight by reciting the specific time frames in which information was made available to the Mine Rescue Command Center and mine management.
You'll recall again that the Mine Rescue Command Center is comprised of essentially two agencies and the company management, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration representatives as well as the West Virginia State Department of Mine Health and Safety Training, and company management. So it's a team of about 12 to 13 individuals. And they're coordinating the entire effort of the mine rescue.
At 11:45 p.m. the Mine Rescue Command Center received a report that 12 miners were alive. At 12:18 a.m., the mine command center also received a report that the mine rescue team and survivors were leaving the face area.
Company officials at the mine did not release any statement at this time. However, we were aware that numerous cell phone calls from a number of mine rescue workers and jubilant employees were made to family members and others upon receipt of this uplifting report.
At 12:30 a.m., when the mine rescue team received fresh air and were no longer operating with a breathing apparatus, the mine command center was informed that there appeared to be only one survivor, and that the other 11 miners showed no vital signs and appeared to be deceased.
The elapsed time since the first call was roughly 45 minutes, according to the mine command center call log. The immediate reaction in the command center was that this report of only one survivor may be erroneous. Many participants in the command center clinged to the fervent hope that the other 11 miners may be in some sort of comatose state and may be revivable.
At 1:20 a.m., the mine rescue team, with our confirmed survivor, reached the surface. And he was immediately transported to the local hospital.
It's important to note at this point that the survivor's identity was not yet known. All of the identification gear that miners keep on their bodies was removed for purposes of resuscitating the survivor and administering oxygen. So there was no way to even know what the identity of the survivor was at that point.
At 1:38 a.m., four additional rescue teams were dispatched with emergency medical technicians to confirm that the remaining miners were deceased or, if not, to provide urgent medical care. Company and state officials did not believe that it was prudent to issue a statement to family or media without concrete information as to the actual status of the 11 miners or without the identity of the known survivor.
At approximately 2:00 a.m., within minutes of learning that the initial reports may have been incorrect, state police officers were notified and asked to notify the clergy at the church where the families were gathered that the initial reports may have been too optimistic.
Based upon our information, at least some of the clergy received that message. But it clearly did not get effectively relayed to the people that needed it most, the miners' families. In the meantime, the mine rescue team that retrieved the survivor was debriefed. During that debriefing, the company, state and federal officials became more convinced that the other miners were, in fact, deceased.
At approximately 2:15 a.m., Mr. McCloy's identity was confirmed, as he reached the hospital.
At approximately 2:30 a.m., the company completed preparation of a brief statement and headed immediately to the church to inform the families of the devastating news.
In keeping with our commitment, we went first to the church to inform the families, and then from there to the media center to inform you.
We fully recognize the criticism that the company has received about the manner in which the news was communicated to the families.
Rightly or wrongly, we believed it was important to make factual statements to the families, and we believed that word had been sent to the church to indicate that additional reports may not be correct.
We made what we believed to be the best decisions, based on the information available, while working under extreme stress and physical exhaustion.
We sincerely regret the manner in which the events unfolded early this morning. The occurrences at the Sago mine over the past couple of days are truly a great tragedy.
It is unfortunate, and we are saddened by the fact that the communication problems we experienced last night only added to the terrible tragedy.
With respect to an update on the body removal, we can now confirm that the bodies of all 12 deceased employees have been removed from the mine, as of 10:26 this morning.
Once retrieved from the mine, the bodies were identified and then turned over to the Upshur County medical examiner.
With regard to the mine accident investigation and alignment meeting to launch the comprehensive investigation by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, West Virginia Safety Department of Mine Health Safety and Training and also International Coal Group Management, is scheduled for this afternoon at the mine site.
With that meeting, we will begin that process in pursuit of answers.
Again, our thoughts and prayers go out to each of the 12 families that lost loved ones in this terrible accident. And we continue to pray for Randal McCloy's swift recovery.
With that, I'll open the floor to a few questions. QUESTION: Sir, why was there no order given to the people who were working on this rescue to not say anything and not release any word until it was certain of the condition of those miners?
HATFIELD: That order was given individually throughout this area. But you have to appreciate that this information from the mine rescue team comes across an audible speaker that can be easily heard throughout the mine office. And you have a desperate group of people that have been on their feet for anywhere from 30 to 40 hours trying to save lives.
They were looking desperately for good information. These are friends, family, of the people that are trapped. There was desperation for good information. They wanted to share it. I don't think anyone had a clue how much damage was about to be created.
And we truly regret that. But certainly that direction had been given but, in the jubilation of the moment, the rules didn't hold.
QUESTION: What can you say about the rage and the fury that greeted you in that church last night? And have you had a chance, under calmer circumstances, to personally apologize to those families?
HATFIELD: We have not had the opportunity to go back and meet with the families as a group. As I told you in the last media update, we are incredibly saddened by the turn of events. We understand the grief and the despair and the anger. I'm not surprised by it. These people have endured incredible pain over the last two, three days.
And just as we did, the were clinging to hope. So they needed good information. And we were trying to get them good information. And in the process of being cautious, we allowed the jubilation to go on longer than it should have. And that's just all I can say about it.
QUESTION: What was the exact time you notified the families?
HATFIELD: The exact time that we notified the families? Again, we had been on our feet for far too long for me to be particularly precise. But it was somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Were you wrong, or did you misunderstand their communication?
HATFIELD: I'm sorry, I don't understand your question.
QUESTION: Was the information from the rescue teams wrong?
HATFIELD: Let Gene Kitts respond to that question.
KITTS: You have to understand the means of communication between the mine rescue team and the surface command center. The mine rescue team is operating under a full face mask with oxygen.
And they have a radio system that they are able to communicate back to what is called the fresh air base.
Now, these mine rescue team members were advancing at the very rapid pace looking for these miners in this desperate search.
When they found the miners, they relayed the message back to the fresh air base by radio. And then the word was sent from the fresh air base back to the surface via a hard-line telephone.
Now, we don't know where the communication or the miscommunication occurred. And we don't really think that's important at this point. We just know that miscommunication occurred.
I was in the command center when the message was received that 12 are alive. Pure jubilation broke out at that point, as you would expect.
It was such an uproar of joy that the people communicating via the phone system asked everyone not directly associated with this effort to leave. So everyone dispersed throughout the mine office and into the parking lot.
There were, you know, all sorts of joyful expressions. So during this time, the mine rescue workers, unknown to us, were desperately trying to resuscitate Mr. McCloy.
He was found by the sound of moans. That was how they went directly to where the 11 bodies and the survivor was found. So the mine rescue workers quickly identified the one man who was still alive.
They had to restore his breathing. They had to provide oxygen to him. They did not have time nor the inclination to radio back to the fresh air base that we want to confirm that there is one survivor and 11 deceased.
They were focused entirely on saving Mr. McCloy, as they should have been.
So the next communication that we received was approximately 45 minutes later that the survivor was at the fresh air base and was being transported outside.
At that point, there was pure disbelief in the command center. The communicator asked several times to clarify this report. The question that was asked earlier about why we didn't order everyone at the mine office and the surrounding area not to call outside with any of this news, that command had been given.
Mine management went to everyone, every office, every place and said, "This is something that we cannot release until we are certain of facts, so don't communicate anything outside until it's certainly confirmed."
But that obviously didn't happen. In order to doubly protect against the release of erroneous information, the mine rescue teams had agreed to use a type of code not to say survivor or victim, but to use different terminology.
And that system worked when the first miner was found. They said that one item was found at Break 56 and there was no release of that information until such time as we went to the family and told them yesterday evening at some time.
When the mine rescue team reached the survivor and the 11 victims, they attempted to use that same code and somewhere along the line that was miscommunicated. It came to the surface as "12 are alive." And at that point, we know what happened.
QUESTION: Gene, was that audio clear between the rescue team and the fresh air base? I mean, is it a clear...
KITTS: Only the person at the fresh air base who made this relay message could answer that question. We don't know and we're not going to speculate. We're not going to blame anyone.
QUESTION: But in normal situations, is it clear to understand...
KITTS: These people were working roughly in excess of 2,000 feet using a low-power radio transmission system within their oxygen mask back to a radio receiver at the fresh air base. The quality of that transmission is something that we'll never know. All that we know is the mine rescue team knew what they found. When it was communicated to the surface, it came across as 12 alive.
QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit more about what circumstances they found, how the men had tried to barricade themselves, what they could deduce from what they found as to what actually happened to them?
HATFIELD: All we can say, again, based on reports back from the rescue teams, is that a very somewhat flimsy or rough barricade structure using ventilation curtain had been constructed as these miners tried desperately to secure an area of a safe breathing environment. And that was in the furthest depth of the mine faces. This was all the way up in the production face of the two left section, a distance of roughly two and a half miles from the portal.
QUESTION: Left or right in the section?
HATFIELD: I believe it's the left side of the section. I don't remember which entry.
(CROSSTALK)
HATFIELD: Number three entry, I'm told, which is the third one from the left.
QUESTION: Could they have walked out or did they go into this structure as per training?
HATFIELD: Again, we will never know the whole story, I don't think. But the presumption is that these miners tried to exit when they became aware of the explosion. The explosion clearly happened after they were already near the face. They felt the percussion and heard the noise, perhaps. They started toward the outside.
We believe they probably encountered heavy smoke, very dense smoke. And, of course, the ventilation system was disrupted by the explosion. So they concluded that they had no safe means of exiting the mine.
They then do what skilled miners do: You retreat to a safe breathing environment and try to construct a barricade and hold out for help.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) that blocked their escape, that you believe it was smoke that turned them back (OFF-MIKE)
HATFIELD: Again, we don't know but we believe they probably encountered very heavy smoke and there could have been some debris from the destruction of the ventilation seals, but we really don't know that.
QUESTION: What type of breathing equipment did they have with them? And did they have it on their bodies?
HATFIELD: The miners carry, by law, what's called an SCSR, which is an independent oxygen supply. And it lasts for a specified period of time.
QUESTION: Roughly how long?
KITTS: Normally an hour.
HATFIELD: Normally an hour in aggressive walking. Obviously, if you're in a position of repose and rest, you can stretch the supply for a longer period.
HATFIELD: But they clearly made use of the SESR breathing apparatus to try to protect themselves.
QUESTION: At 12:30, when you knew the information was erroneous, when you knew that one miner only was alive, did you have a discussion about telling the families who you knew were celebrating?
HATFIELD: At 12:30...
QUESTION: You were part of that discussion...
HATFIELD: Again, to correct your question, we did not know at 12:30. We only knew there was conflicting information. We didn't know the answer until somewhere between 2:00 and 2:30.
QUESTION: But when you (OFF-MIKE) that information, did you discuss that idea?
HATFIELD: We discussed how we can confirm what the right answer is. We didn't believe there was any productive benefit of saying it could be one, could be 12, we have conflicting reports.
QUESTION: What do you mean, no productive benefit? You knew families were in jubilation.
HATFIELD: We were all in jubilation. Grown men were giving bear hugs in the parking lot. We were celebrating.
QUESTION: In retrospect, do you regret the decision not to release that information?
HATFIELD: I'm sorry. I didn't understand your question.
QUESTION: In retrospect, do you regret the decision not to release that information?
HATFIELD: In hindsight, all I could have done differently was personally have gone to the church and say: There's conflicting information, please let's just hold where we are and we'll give you more information when we have it.
But, again, because we had one clear communication that said 12 were alive followed 45 minutes later or so -- I forget the time frame -- but another communication that said only 11 are alive, we were just as suspicious of the second communication as the first.
We didn't know which one was right.
QUESTION: Why were you...
HATFIELD: Certainly, when people have been in a barricade for a period of time, there's high risk that some of them may be in a comatose kind of state where the vital signs may be difficult to confirm.
So, there was a lot of legitimate basis to continue being optimistic. So, at that the point we did regroup with the command center and tried to relay word through state police to get information to the church that there's confusion on the information; we don't really know what the situation is; we're waiting to debrief the mine rescue team.
That communication clearly did not get carried through very well and that we deeply regret.
QUESTION: What would you have done differently?
HATFIELD: What would I have done differently? I would have personally gone to the church when we got the conflicting information, if I had to do it over again, and say something may be wrong here.
But, again, it's in hindsight. I don't know what the right answer was.
QUESTION: Information that the survivors were going to all come to the church -- where did that come from? Do you know? Because they were waiting outside for them to show up.
HATFIELD: That can only be cell phone communication and speculation. We never made any announcement or plan to that effect. In any situation, the plan would have always been to take the survivors directly to the hospital because these men, in the best of situations, would have been in very dire straits with regard to their health.
HATFIELD: They would have needed immediate medical care.
QUESTION: But even that information -- did you know that that's what they were waiting for?
HATFIELD: We had no idea what they were being told. We did not know.
QUESTION: Is there any explanation or conjecture why the survivor was able to survive while the others did not?
HATFIELD: I can only relay an informal communication from one doctor who speculated that Mr. McCloy was advantaged by his youth and perhaps better physical regimen, and that might have helped him space out his breathing. He could also, as I recall, have been deeper in the barricade area -- so perhaps further from the toxic gases.
QUESTION: All of the men had canisters on, including him, and those canisters, you told us a couple days ago, were only good for an hour -- is that correct?
HATFIELD: Well again, we believed all 12 men donned their SCSR breathing apparatus. And whether it lasts an hour or longer is a function of how quickly you breathe and how much physical exertions being used -- and I'm not an expert in that.
QUESTION: Do you have any clues as to what actually killed them? Was it concussion from the explosion? Was it carbon monoxide? Was it exposure? Can you...
HATFIELD: We do not know. That information's going to be in the hands of the medical examiner, and that will have to come...
QUESTION: Do you mean that they did not find carbon monoxide blood levels in McCloy when they took him to the hospital?
HATFIELD: I heard a report to that effect. Again, I also have heard a report from another doctor who said that information is misleading because that only measures a point in time and isn't necessarily reflective of the degree of toxins is in his system.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Sir, the fact that you did have one survivor clinging to life, is it possible that if you had gotten your rescue teams there any sooner you could have saved more miners? HATFIELD: It is always possible that if we had gotten there sooner, we could have saved more miners. And it was our determination and fervent effort from the day this happened to get there as quickly as we could.
But you have to appreciate, again, that these are remarkably brave and talented men -- these rescue teams that are advancing into the mine -- but they have a huge task. They have to make sure that it's safe, because time and time again, in previous mine disasters, we have seen situations where mine rescue teams stretched the envelope, went into areas at a pace that wasn't safe, and only created more fatalities -- and we were desperate to try to avoid the risk of creating more fatalities.
QUESTION: Sir, did you know any of these miners personally?
HATFIELD: No. I know relatives of the miners personally.
HATFIELD: I did not know any of the miners personally.
QUESTION: What did you learn about them and what should we know about them?
QUESTION: And are you going to give us a list of their names, now that their families know?
HATFIELD: I'll have to confer with command center. I thought that information had already been made available to you. But if it hasn't, I will try to release it.
QUESTION: Can you rule out that they died from an explosion?
HATFIELD: I can't speculate on the cause of death. Again, we do know that one miner was in a different location. The first body was located near the belt terminal point. We call it a belt drive; it's two left section. That's a distance of probably 2,000 feet or more from the rest of the miners.
So that miner may have died from a different cause than the 12 that were in the barricade. We just don't know that answer now.
(CROSSTALK)
HATFIELD: OK, let me go to this question. His question was: Had the ventilation fan been turned off? No, we don't turn mine fans off. They run 24/7.
QUESTION: Can you describe to us the condition that the rescue teams found Mr. McCloy and the other miners in? I mean, can you describe to us the scene? Were they huddled together? Were they scattered about? What did they find when they got to these 12?
HATFIELD: I think it would be inappropriate to share that kind of information until it's been shared with families. Again, we want to respect their privacy and we are determined to do so.
So we're not going to get into discussions of the actual accident scene. We're going to talk to families when they have interest in that information or when they're prepared for it, and we'll share with them everything that we know.
QUESTION: Describe the barricade for us in some detail as to what it was made of and what it looked like? QUESTION: And where are they in the mines? Are there certain areas of the mines? Did the miners pull it out? Did they carry it? That sort of thing.
HATFIELD: OK, with respect to the barrier, again, I can only say that generally speaking it's practice -- that's typical mining practice -- to barricade materials that are located within a specified distance of the active mine face.
As the mine face moved forward, these barricade materials are moved forward.
So I couldn't tell you precisely where the materials were, because it's something that moves forward every time the face advances.
But we have been told that the barricade was constructed of what's called brattice cloth or ventilation curtain material. It's a combination plastic and fibrous material that's commonly used on all mine faces to direct currents of air.
So I would stop short of calling this a complete barricade. It was a rough attempt at a barricade using ventilation curtain. That's what it's been described to me as.
Three walls of the structure were essentially the ribs -- the coal face and the two side walls -- and the fourth wall was the piece of ventilation curtain that I just described.
HATFIELD: And that's essentially the nature of the barricade.
QUESTION: What's it keeping in and what's it keeping out?
HATFIELD: Ideally, the goal would be to keep in the good air and keep out the bad air, keep out the carbon monoxide-laced air.
QUESTION: Who was in charge of communications, (inaudible), the governor's office, who?
HATFIELD: Again, as we told you, the mine command center, which is, essentially, the brain of the rescue operation, has designated agents around the table that have a map in front of them that very meticulously monitor the quality of the air and the advance rescue units.
And the rescue units do not move forward without approval from all three parties; the three parties being the federal mine officials, the state mine officials and company management. And that is the committee...
QUESTION: Who makes the decisions of how to communicate with us and families? MHSA, the company, the state, who?
HATFIELD: Communication decisions to the media are being made by the company. We determine when we make media press releases and how often we talk to the families.
QUESTION: And the families? HATFIELD: We talk to the families more often than we talk to you because our goal has always been to keep them as well informed as we can.
QUESTION: At what point was the governor notified?
HATFIELD: We didn't actually notify the governor, so I can't tell you how he learned it. Again, many, many cell phones from jubilant employees and inspectors and people of every regime that were trying to get out the word that we thought was just a joyous celebration.
Someone's called the governor's office...
(CROSSTALK) HATFIELD: Excuse me. I'll finish my question here. At one point, someone called the governor's office. I do not know who did that. I do know that the governor got that information.
He was, of course, elated. And Governor Manchin, you have to appreciate, comes from coal miners. He's a native West Virginian. He's been around the mining business for a long time and has had exposure to mining disasters.
So, he was as elated with this new information as anyone in the county. He met me in the middle of the parking lot and gave me a bear hug I'll never forgot. We thought we had a celebration that would never end.
QUESTION: Who told the families? That's what a lot of people are wondering.
HATFIELD: We do not know who told the family because, again, the company didn't send out information to the family that this is what we know. It was just too preliminary.
QUESTION: When you called the clergy -- who from the command center called the clergy at the church?
HATFIELD: We had a discussion with the governor's office and other people that were present near the command center and we said we need to get word out to families that there's conflicting information and we do not know the answer.
HATFIELD: And we tried to relay that word through the state police, because the traffic was horrendous. It was taking us 30 to 45 minutes sometimes just to go from the command center to the church just because of the huge influx of concerned family members and press and everything else.
So just the logistics of getting to church was difficult. So we tried to relay word through what I recall were state police contacts, to get word to the clergy that there's conflicting information; we'll get you real numbers, real data as soon as we have it.
And clearly that communication did not get effectively delivered, and we regret that. QUESTION: Can you talk about the code that was used, and specifically what words were supposed to be used? (inaudible) talking about, you mentioned the word "item." What was the word for survival?
HATFIELD: "Item" was the code word for a body. And I don't recall the other codes. I wasn't directly involved in that so I'd rather not get into it any more than that.
QUESTION: No one here knows?
QUESTION: Sir, the miners at Quecreek wrote notes to their loved ones in case they didn't make it out. Did anything like that happen? Were their any messages, any attempts to communicate?
HATFIELD: Again, there are private natures of what we have discovered in the barricade that are going to be shared with family first and only with that family until such time as they elect to disclose what they're loved ones said or did.
So that's where we're going to keep that.
QUESTION: Can you address what you've learned about these men since this ordeal began and what we should all know and remember about these men?
HATFIELD: I can only know that these are skilled miners, good people, wonderful fathers and sons. They clearly were skilled at what they did because they did what skilled miners would do: You first try to go to the outside. Then you create a barricade in what appears to be the safest environment.
If these folks hadn't been good at what they do and hadn't been knowledgeable miners, we would have had zero survivors. We had some people that lived for a period of time and, thank God, Mr. McCloy.
QUESTION: The son of one of the miners has said that he understood -- you two have been telling him -- that 12 had been located and were fine and that you were going to bring them back.
Did you tell anybody at any point that these miners were safe?
HATFIELD: I made no such statement. All we had was information from the command center. And, again, it must have been 30 people or more that heard the same information about the same time that said 12 are alive.
But at that point, without any clarification, we didn't know enough information to deliver it to families in the form of what condition they're in, how soon we'll get them out.
HATFIELD: We just couldn't go there because all the rescue team participants were working feverishly to resuscitate Mr. McCloy. And we didn't have any word for 30, 45 minutes.
QUESTION: No, but I mean, it was floating around there -- they're alive, they're OK? HATFIELD: Well, everyone was talking about it in the parking lots, in the kitchen and everywhere. People who had all got the information were sharing it because that's -- that was the hot rumor.
QUESTION: Was that recorded by any chance?
KITTS: No. Let me add something to that. The time period from the initial transmission that 12 are alive to the point at 12:30 where we got the next message that there was only one survivor was not time spent simply trying to decide what to release to the media or to the families.
We asked the state to provide 12 ambulances. We gathered all the emergency medical technicians and the necessary equipment and gear to get underground.
We were looking for 12 stretchers. We were looking for all of the skilled personnel that could get underground to help transport these 12 survivors to the surface.
This was not something that you could simply pick up a person, put them on a stretcher and load them on a car and drive them to the surface. The one survivor was carried by hand on a stretcher for 3,200 feet while the mine rescue workers were wearing the full breathing gear.
That's a tremendous accomplishment. We were thinking that was going to have to be done for 12 people. So we were scrambling to get the proper people...
PHILLIPS: There's still so many questions to be answered. Even those that you're listening to, Gene Kitts, vice president, and Ben Hatfield, CEO of the International Coal Group, they're still trying to figure out a number of answers to questions and that is how is it that they heard 12 are alive.
They were talking about the communication process between the rescue teams in the mine and that communication process between those teams and then to the fresh air base, the command center, as they were talking by radio, both Ben Hatfield and Gene Kitts saying that everybody heard 12 are alive. They talked about the rescue workers had masks on, that could have somehow disrupted what they were trying to say.
Still, who made that call? Who made that initial statement? And is that what the rescue team -- member of rescue team said? We're still trying to figure that out. Two other things real quickly. Everybody has been taken out of the mine. That happened at 10:26 a.m. this morning.
Everybody was removed. The bodies were identified and now they're with the medical examiner. And then we finally learned how the rescue team tried to save -- not the rescue team, but the miners actually tried to save their lives and that was -- as soon as they felt or heard that explosion, they created a secure area with a ventilation curtain, a brattice cloth, did the best they could to get out when they realized there was a problem with the ventilation system, it was disrupted.
They knew had to get to a safe place because they couldn't exit. That's when they set up the cloth and tried to save their lives. We'll continue to monitor that. CNN.com/pipeline is continuing to carry that news conference. We'll keep trying to underfold all the details of what has happened in at mine.
Meanwhile, while we were listening to that, another story broke within the past few minutes. And that is concerning the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. We'll go straight to Fredricka Whitfield in the newsroom. She's been developing -- or working on this developing story. What do we know, Fred?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, in fact, Kyra, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been rushed to a hospital in Jerusalem and this comes just one day after he was already scheduled to go to the hospital for catheterization because doctors wanted to repair a small hole in his heart.
It was considered to be a relatively minor heart operation. But now he's being taken to the hospital one day premature of that scheduled procedure. Let's check in with CNN's John Vause, who's in Jerusalem. How did this come about, John?
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Fredricka, within the last 10 minutes or so, we've heard from the prime minister's office that Ariel Sharon was suddenly taken ill, that he's been taken to the Hadassah Hospital. The same hospital that he was rushed to just over two weeks ago when he suffered a minor stroke.
According to the prime minister's office, Ariel Sharon has not lost consciousness but he has taken ill. He's being attended to by a personal physician right now. There are unconfirmed reports on Israeli media that he may have in fact suffered a stroke much like he did the Sunday two weeks ago before Christmas when he was taken to the Hadassah Hospital.
As you mentioned, he was due to undergo what is considered a fairly relatively simple procedure in about eight or nine hours from now, to repair a small hole in his heart. Doctors discovered this heart defect when he was undergoing medical checks just over two weeks ago. Once he suffered that stroke, they scheduled this operation for some time tomorrow.
He decided that he will relinquish his authority as prime minister while he undergoes that procedure. But he is now in hospital already. There's obviously a great deal of concern regarding the prime minister's health, especially after he suffered that stroke just over two weeks ago.
He is 77-years-old, he is about to turn 78. Once he had that stroke about two weeks ago, the doctors did give him a fairly good, clean bill of health apart from this one small hole in his heart. And they did say this procedure which he was scheduled to undertake in about eight hours or nine hours from now, was a relatively simple procedure, however he would go under a full anesthesia, he would lose consciousness during that procedure.
And he decided to hand authority to his deputy Ehud Olmert. That is now -- could very well be a moot point as Ariel Sharon is once again in hospital. What we do not know ,there are unconfirmed reports on Israeli media that he may have in fact suffered another stroke, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, John Vause in Jerusalem, thanks so much. Now on the telephone joining us as well, senior adviser to Ariel Sharon, Ra'anan Gissin. Thanks so much for being with us. Mr. Gissin, we know based on Joan Vause's report and other reports that we've had here on CNN, that it was just over two weeks ago that Ariel Sharon suffered that first stroke that the world learned about.
His procedure was scheduled for tomorrow. Obviously doctors had felt like he was OK, he was showing relatively good signs for him to carry on about his business. We're looking at video that was shot earlier today of him helping in a transaction of a opening of a bank, the purchase of a bank. How has he been looking in recent days?
RA'ANAN GISSIN, SENIOR ADVISER TO ARIEL SHARON: Well, he's been fine. He's been working, not a full load, but you know, what -- for a normal person would be a full load, anyway. Attending meetings. He was attending today several meetings.
And apparently when he went back to his farm this evening he felt slight pains in the chest and some weaknesses that in the presence of his doctor and upon his advice he said -- the doctor said that he should be taken to the hospital.
So he was taken to the hospital that he is supposed to undergo the catherization tomorrow and right now he's about to enter the hospital, I guess in the next few minutes. The doctors will check him, will provide medical assessment as to his conditions in what should be done. And of course when we have additional information, we'll let you know. I emphasize, I want to emphasize right now he's in full consciousness, he speak, he talks. He's not in any condition that one could describe as, you know, difficult or where he suffers from inability to function. He's in full consciousness.
WHITFIELD: Well how is he saying that he is actually feeling?
GISSIN: Well, I haven't talked to him yet. And no one has talked to him yet. And once the doctors will examine him, I'm sure a medical bulletin will be issued about his health and we're all expecting to hear good news.
WHITFIELD: Well how open are you expecting doctors to be, how forthright are you expecting them to be with information after they make their initial assessment of him?
GISSIN: Well, you know, we don't keep information away from the public. I mean, everything -- once we know the information, it will all be made available to the public. I'm sure you're also going to be notified. WHITFIELD: Now, is it your understanding that instead of this catheterization, as you mentioned, which was to take place about nine hours from now, that it just may be taking place more prematurely now?
GISSIN: I don't know. I'm not a doctor. And don't ask me these questions that I can't provide you answer. I think we should all wait patiently, until the doctors make their assessment. Once they provide the medical bulletin, of course, we will notify.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, can you give me an idea, leading up December 18th stroke, just over two weeks ago -- what was at assessment as to why that may have happened and was there any advice that his doctors had given him about the kind of activity he should or should not be undergoing?
GISSIN: No, I mean, he was under very, I would say, close doctor supervision. And the doctors at that time released him from the hospital, (INAUDIBLE). It's several self-doctors who consulted with each other (INAUDIBLE). And so, I mean, he got the best medical treatment and medical assessment before he released.
And his schedule was, you know, determined to a large extent by the doctors, a lighter workload than before and rest and a special diet. And all of these things were carried on, you know, while he returned to work. That said, you know, he felt slight pain and weakness. And the doctor that was with him, his personal doctor, didn't want to take any chances and he said, we'll take him to the hospital for immediate examination.
WHITFIELD: And right now we're looking at images via videophone outside the hospital where Ariel Sharon is to be treated or examined. We're seeing an awful lot of activity. Obviously, not just from press members, but it seems as though there might be public interest, people of public interest to be outside the scene there.
Meantime, Mr. Gissin, we know that the deputy prime minister, Ehud Olmert, would be assuming power. That was the arrangement prior to today. That was the arrangement made just prior to the scheduled catheterization tomorrow. Can you explain to me what's taking place now in terms of power of government?
GISSIN: Look, everything will be determined by the doctors' medical assessment and medical examination. And on the basis of that -- you know, according the law, if they determine that he's incapable of functioning or -- which is not the case right now, as I understand it, then there is a possibility that Deputy Prime Minister Olmert will assume his responsibilities earlier. But that is not the case and you will have await the doctor's assessment, the consultation, with the deputy prime minister before any such decision is taken.
WHITFIELD: OK. And just listening to your voice, Mr. Gissin, you seem to be not too worried. You seem awfully upbeat, almost cavalier about this. How concerned are you?
GISSIN: No, I'm not cavalier. I'm just providing you with the facts and I think it's premature to make any assessment. We have to wait patiently for the doctors' medical report. I think that's what we normally would do under such conditions. All I can tell you is that he has full consciousness and understands and listens and talks with people around him. He is accompanied by his son and his daughter-in-law and his doctors. So we have to wait patiently for the next medical report.
WHITFIELD: Sure. And understandable you and a lot of other people want to remain optimistic about what may be taking place. Thanks so much, Ra'anan Gissin, senior adviser.
GISSIN: Thank you. Good evening.
WHITFIELD: Good evening to you, thanks so much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks so much, Fred. We'll continue to follow obviously the health conditions surrounding Ariel Sharon.
In addition we're continuing to monitor the live news conference regarding what happened with those miners that were trapped and the communication miscommunication that took place about whether they were dead or alive.
You can also go on to CNN.com/pipeline and continue to listen to the vice president, the CEO of International Coal Group, as they explain to reporters what happened that fateful morning, night and next day.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Two live events we're continuing to follow for you. You're seeing a live news conference with Ben Hatfield, the CEO of the International Coal Group. He's continuing to talk with reporters. He's been talking with reporters for almost an hour now about what happened in that mine shaft and the miscommunication that took place when they thought they got the word that 12 miners were still alive. And then, of course, we know what happened from there. And we'll continue to follow what he's saying and telling reporters.
Also, the fate of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. His health, not sure exactly what has taken place, but he has been rushed to the hospital. You know that he suffered a stroke this past year. He was set to have an operation to repair a small hole in his heart. We are monitoring what has happened -- or what is going on with Ariel Sharon there in the hospital with John Vause there in Israel.
Meanwhile, we're going to go to our Wolf Blitzer. He's going to pick up both of those stories. This does it for us on LIVE FROM. We'll be back tomorrow.
Wolf, you got your hand full.
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