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The Situation Room

Candlelight Vigil for Miners; Sharon Suffers 'Significant Stroke'; Reaction from a Sago Resident; How Safe are Unionized Coal Mines?;

Aired January 04, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States, and around the world, to bring you the day's top stories.
Happening now.

It's 2:00 a.m. in Jerusalem where Ariel Sharon is rushed into surgery after suffering a major stroke. His powers have already been transferred at a critical time for Israel and Middle East peace efforts.

In West Virginia, where it's 7:00 p.m, a courageous rescue effort ends in chaos -- and for many, heartbreak. Heartfelt apologies from officials, families misled about the fate of missing miners. But there's also joy. One miner did make it out. We'll have the story of this sole survivor and his battle for life.

I'm John King. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm John King, Wolf is on assignment.

We're watching a breaking story tonight out of Jerusalem, where Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed in to surgery for what doctors at first called a significant stroke. Hospital officials say the 77-year-old Sharon is expected to emerge from surgery safely. But the hospital chief says the prime minister has suffered massive bleeding in the brain. Mr. Sharon's powers have already been transferred to his deputy, now acting Prime Minister Ahead Olmert.

Mr. Sharon suffered what had been described as a minor stroke just two weeks ago and had been due to undergo minor surgery to patch a small hole in his heart. We'll have much, much more on this developing story ahead.

But first, celebrations and tragedy head-on in West Virginia. Tonight a dozen families are in mourning for the 12 men killed in the Sago Mine disaster -- men they thought, for a few joyous hours, had somehow cheated death. We now know only one man survived. He's hospitalized in critical condition. And tonight officials with the company that owns the mine are expressing regret and offering tearful apologies for the heartbreaking confusion.

CNN's Brian Todd and Anderson Cooper are live for us in Upshur County, West Virginia, tonight. And CNN's Chris Huntington is outside the hospital in Morgantown where survivor Randal McCloy is being treated.

Let's begin with Brian Todd. Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, a very dramatic scene here today when the men who run this ill-fated mine tried to explain the deaths of these miners and how the communication about those fatalities went so tragically wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN HATFIELD, CEO, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: We'd like to set the record straight ...

TODD (voice-over): Officials from International Coal Group offered tearful apologies and expressed regret in a long news conference. President Ben Hatfield says the problem started when the first report from rescuers underground came over a speaker heard throughout the mine office, and was misunderstood by many.

HATFIELD: 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.

TODD: The erroneous report of 12 survivors spread quickly by cell phone to the church where relatives were gathered, despite what company officials say were explicit instructions.

GENE KITTS, SVP, INTERNATIONAL COAL GROUP: My 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 -- it's certainly confirmed. But that obviously didn't happen.

TODD: Officials say it was 45 minutes later when they got the first contradictory report, indicating there were 12 dead, not 12 alive. They decided to wait until they were certain of the situation before briefing the families. And they say they realize now it was a mistake to let the celebration continue unchecked for so long, increasing the disappointment.

EARL CASTO, COUSIN OF MINER KILLED IN ACCIDENT: I was angry. But it just something that just you can't -- it's something you just can't hardly believe, yeah. I don't believe it yet, the way it was handled.

TODD: Hatfield says if he had to do it over again he would have made changes on what he calls the worst day of his life.

HATFIELD: What would I have done differently? I would have personally gone to the church when we got the conflicting information.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): A short time ago we spoke to the state medical examiner's office. The bodies of those 12 miners expected to arrive there in Charleston tonight. Autopsies expected Thursday and Friday.

John.

HATFIELD: An incredible story, Brian. Thanks for your work today.

On the scene for us now and on the scene last night as all this was unfolding is Anderson Cooper there when those church bells started tolling, the then joyous news and the shock, Anderson, that that news was not true and the miners were dead. A tough day reporting. Your observations today?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It was a stunning early morning this morning. I could tell you there is a prayer vigil going on right now a close distance behind me back at the church, the church that saw so much happiness and so much heartbreak last night. I think we have a live picture of that vigil. It is actually taking place just outside the church. A little bit more than 100 people or so have gathered. They have candles with them, and they have been singing hymns and songs, and that is the scene right now live here in Upshur County, West Virginia.

There has been a lot of anger throughout the day, frustration, sorrow, every emotion you could possibly imagine. As Brian Todd was reporting, these mine owners which just held a press conference a little bit earlier today in which they tearfully apologized saying, looking back on it now, they wish that at 12:30 a.m., when they got the first report that, in fact, the information they previously had been getting was wrong, that, in fact, just one miner was alive, they weren't sure frankly whether or not to believe their own report at 12:30, but they chose not to come down to the church, and inform the families that the information was not rock solid. They chose to basically hold onto that information for two-plus hours. And they say they regret that today, and they apologized about that today.

But for a lot of families, obviously the damage has been done. And this is a town, John, right now, in mourning -- a town that has 12 miners to bury. Their bodies were recovered earlier today. They have been finally brought back out of the earth, only to be put back in the earth over the next several days.

John.

KING: Anderson Cooper, a difficult day on the scene. And much more on AC 360 tonight at 10:00. Anderson, we'll be tuning in to watch you there. Thanks to Brian Todd, as well. And we're showing you -- we were showing you just moments ago, again, as Anderson noted, a live picture of the vigil outside of the church on the site of this mine tragedy.

We want to go now also to Morgantown where Chris Huntington is standing by. One miner did make it out, Randal McCloy is his name. He's being treated tonight. He will become the one miracle, if you will, of this drama. Chris, what is the latest there?

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest, Anderson, is that he's still in critical condition, but Randy McCloy, very, very fortunate. He was also very fit going in to this accident. His younger brother described him as a machine. And it appears that that conditioning may have been his salvation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON (voice-over): Doctors say his youth and being in good shape may have saved his life.

LARRY ROBERTS, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS: I think good health, and being young obviously contribute to, to being able to tolerate such insults.

HUNTINGTON: Twenty-seven year-old Randal McCloy Jr. is the sole survival after the coal mine accident that left 12 of his co-workers dead. Doctors treating McCloy say today he was able to squeeze one of the doctors' hands and respond to his wife with facial expressions.

ROBERTS: We decreased the sedation and he was able to interact a little bit with us, some appropriate movements, responded to his wife in an appropriate manner.

HUNTINGTON: Doctors say McCloy is breathing through a tube, and therefore is unable to speak. He suffered severe dehydration after being trapped in the mine for 41 hours. But doctors say they're staying positive about his recovery.

At a news conference today, McCloy's wife Anna, somewhat reluctantly commented on how she's getting through this. Listen carefully.

ANNA MCCLOY, WIFE OF SURVIVING MINER: He's asked everybody to keep on praying.

QUESTION: Is that what's getting through?

A. MCCLOY: Yes, everybody's praying.

QUESTION: And your family?

A. MCCLOY: Lots of family support.

HUNTINGTON: Anna and Randal McCloy met in grade school and have been together for 12 years. They have two children. McCloy is a licensed electrician. He's been in the mining business for three years. Relatives recently told CNN the money was too good to pass up.

QUESTION: Why did he decide to become a coal miner?

LILA MUNCY, SISTER OF SURVIVING MINER: The money basically. You know, it's the better money. And in West Virginia, I mean you know, there's not that many opportunities around here.

HUNTINGTON: And his sister says McCloy, knowing how dangerous his job was, always had a special message for his wife.

MUNCY: Every, you know, every morning he would tell his wife, you know, God bless you. You know, before he left for work -- because he always knew the danger. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: That report there from Chris Huntington at the hospital.

KING: We want to go now back to Morgantown. We have Chris McCloy standing by. He is Randal McCloy's brother. He joins us now from the hospital where his brother is recovering. And Chris McCloy, let me just simply begin. What has your brother told you about his ordeal and about, if he has shared any details with you at all about how long the other miners survived?

CHRIS MCCLOY, BROTHER OF SURVIVING MINER: Randy's been sedated so I haven't actually got to talk to him. But -- so I really can't comment on that. I really don't know.

KING: In terms of his condition inside the hospital, what are the doctors perhaps telling the family that they haven't told us publicly about the extent of his injuries, the extent of any damage, and when he is, like -- you say he's sedated. Have you been told when you might be able to talk to him?

C. MCCLOY: As everybody knows, he has a collapsed lung, so, they obviously they have him on an -- is it an incubator? Is that what it's called?

KING: Respirator?

C. MCCLOY: Respirator, yeah. And -- so they have a tube down his throat. So, you know, obviously he can't communicate right now. Plus, the collapsed lung. So, communication is not an option at this time, so ...

KING: This drama has captivated the nation and indeed, to an extent, the world. Your family is the family celebrating tonight. There obviously was the miscommunications and the other families who thought for a short period of time perhaps their loved one was alive only to find out that there only was one survivor.

Share your thoughts, if you will, on the confusion of the early morning hours and hearing the conflicting information.

C. MCCLOY: It was -- it was definitely, you know, there was great joy. We thought that all 12 were going to come out, and it was just going to be, you know, great. So everybody was happy, and cheering, and hoping for the best. And then when they got the news that, in fact, that wasn't the case, just everybody went mad from my understanding.

KING: And how long was it amid that confusion before you or members of your family heard the definitive word that your brother had, indeed, survived and was the sole survivor?

C. MCCLOY: I was actually at home, and my mom and my step-dad were down there at the church. But I -- so I had heard from them, you know, they told me and confirmed, and I saw it on TV, too, after I was on the phone with my mom. But, it's just you know, when I saw Randy's picture, I just -- I knew if anybody would survive, it would be him.

KING: Well Chris McCloy, we thank you for your time tonight. Your brother obviously is in our thoughts and prayers. We wish him a full and speedy recovery. And perhaps we can check in with you in the days ahead once he begins to speak to you to find out a little bit more about his miracle story amid this great tragedy. Thank you very much.

C. MCCLOY: Thank you.

KING: Thank you, sir. And time now for the "Cafferty File." Our Jack Cafferty is in New York and joins us now. Hey, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: John, nice to see you. The families of the dead miners are rightfully angry and some of them are looking for someone to blame. True to the American way these days, the next step may well be to drag somebody into a courtroom and try to empty their pockets. It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect lawsuits, with some relatives already saying they plan to sue. But who gets sued and for how much? Well that remains to be seen.

Here's the question. Are lawsuits appropriate in light of the tragedy at the Sago Mine? You can email us your thoughts at CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. The other question of the hour, John, is what have you done with the Wolf man?

KING: Wolf is on assignment -- I think you could probably connect the dots -- a very important assignment. We expect to have him back here tomorrow. Not in this spot.

CAFFERTY: I don't know what's going on.

KING: We'll let you know. Remember last time I was on the program I told you you'd be advised on a need-to-know basis, that policy stands.

CAFFERTY: You sound like one of those Secret Service guys or something, with a little wire coming out of their sleeve and everything.

KING: Just my ear, not my sleeve. Thanks, Jack.

Coming up, we'll go live to Israel next for the latest on Prime Minister Sharon's condition.

Apologies, tears and regrets. We'll show you more of the remarkable news conference by the owners of the Sago Mine as they try to explain the tragic miscommunication about the fate of 12 twelve men.

Also, anatomy of a rumor. We'll show you how it unfolded minute by minute as relatives careened from celebration to desolation and anger.

Plus, was there any way to reach the men faster? We'll show you how the underground rescue unfolded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: As we've been telling you, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has been rushed in to surgery after suffering what doctors characterize as a major stroke.

Covering this story for us, John Vause in Jerusalem, Dana Bash at the White House and Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

We begin with John. John?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Ariel Sharon has been on the operating table now for just over two hours. The hospital spokespeople here are not giving us many details of what's happening. They said he could be there for another hour, another two hours. They say he will be there for as long as it takes. Right now they are trying to save his life. They're relieving massive bleeding on his brain. It was discovered during an MRI. He was rushed to hospital. He's on a resuscitator.

Aides to the prime minister say while he's undergoing this surgery he is in a stable condition. But obviously a very serious operation, and doctors have said that after this he should emerge from this surgery safely. But no one is actually saying what safely means. There's no long-term prognosis here for the Israeli prime minister. But at 77, about to turn 78, there is a good deal of concern about how Ariel Sharon will recover from this. He suffered a minor stroke two weeks ago. Obviously now there are serious health concerns for this 77-year-old prime minister.

John.

KING: And John, obviously our concerns are on his health, his condition right now. But, obviously, questions then fall about the security environment. Any reactions from the Palestinian Authority, any reaction from Hamas or any other group suggesting that there could be efforts to exploit the political situation, if you will?

VAUSE: Yeah, nothing from the Palestinians, at this stage, John. Last time there was a stroke, that Ariel Sharon had a stroke the Palestinians in Gaza were handing out candy and sweets. We haven't seen that this time. There's been no word about that. It's been very quiet. We spoke to Ra'anan Gissin, the adviser to the prime minister, who he said that all security precautions have been taken, that is all he would say.

KING: John Vause for us in Jerusalem. Thank you.

Ariel Sharon has been the prime minister since March 2001. A key partner as president bush tries to advance his interests in the Middle East, at times a source of frustration. But the two men are friends.

For the White House reaction now, we're joined by our White House correspondent Dana Bash. Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you're right. It goes without saying that President Bush considers Israel a key ally and particularly under Ariel Sharon's leadership. So as you can imagine the White House is watching the situation very closely tonight.

The White House, the president himself put out a statement, a written statement and I'll read it to you. It says, "Laura and I share the concerns of the Israeli people about Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's health and we are praying for his recovery. Prime Minister Sharon is a man of courage and peace. On behalf of all Americans, we send our best wishes and hopes to the prime minister and his family."

Now, Mr. Bush actually got to know Ariel Sharon while he was governor of Texas, then a candidate for president. Mr. Sharon took him around Israel, showed him around there. And as you mentioned, the two men have worked together almost entirely -- the entire Bush presidency on a number of issues and really forged a close but complicated political relationship over how to deal with Yasser Arafat. And of course that was, not to deal with Yasser Arafat at all.

John

KING: And their personal relationship, Dana, one of consensus, or bumps in the road?

BASH: Probably bumps in the road is the best way to put it. You remember President Clinton and Yitzhak Rabin had a very close, warm, personal relationship. Probably not the best way to describe President Bush and Ariel Sharon. But certainly they worked very closely together, particularly on the issue of terrorism.

It was an interesting dance, if you will, to see the two of them, President Bush understanding that he had to perhaps condemn the Israeli people and the Israeli government for any kind of retaliation against the Palestinians when there would be a terror attack because the United States tries to keep middle of the road there. But it was hard for the president to do because Ariel Sharon made clear that he should understand, given what happened here on 9/11 that you have to respond to terror attacks.

KING: Thank you, Dana.

And now for more on the medical condition of the 77-year-old Israeli leader we bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our chief medical correspondent in Atlanta. Sanjay, let's just start here. This is a 77- year-old man who had what they described as a minor stroke not long ago -- now a major stroke today. What does that tell you?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think anybody would take the situation very seriously. But given his past medical history, given his age and most recently the stroke, I think it's obviously something everyone's going to take more seriously.

In a nutshell, John, back on December 18 he had a stroke. That stroke was found to be because of a clot that actually dislodged from the heart. When they examined his heart they found a small hole in his heart as well. That hole was scheduled to be fixed tomorrow, is my understanding. But he was placed on blood thinner medications in the interim time period. And it's those blood thinning medications that probably caused this problem. John, let me just show you, I have a model of the brain here. Let me just show you what we're talking about.

There's two types of strokes. One is -- one type of stroke the brain is not getting enough oxygenated blood, enough blood supply. The other type of stroke that he probably had is when there's a blood collection actually within the brain itself. That causes stroke-like symptoms. That can cause paralysis and the significant neurological problems he's having now.

So, a serious situation, I think, by anybody's standards, but given his situation more serious. But given his history, John, even more serious.

KING: And the doctors are saying he's under anesthetic and on a respirator. Does that give you any sense -- you are already saying it's a quite significant situation -- of what kind of care he's getting, what kind of specific treatment he's getting?

GUPTA: Yeah. When he's on the breathing machine already and I understand listening to John Vause that he's actually been in the operating room now for a couple of hours, probably to try and remove this blood collection, again let me just show you quickly because I think this is important. John, I have a little model here of the skull, they actually are going to remove part of the bone here and try and find this blood collection, and remove it. The point being that you try and take some of the pressure off the brain.

That operation can take a few hours. The fact that he's on blood thinners complicates that operation to some extent, as well. So it's hard to say, John. But obviously I'm not there. I haven't seen any of his scans. I've never examined him. So it's hard to say. But I think, just as a neurosurgeon you hear a story like this and you think boy, this is tough for someone to make a full recovery, let alone any sort of recovery at all from this significant an injury.

KING: Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Atlanta. Also our thanks to Dana Bash at the White House, John Vause on the scene in Jerusalem. We will continue to track this story throughout the evening and in to tomorrow.

And still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, loved ones keeping vigil in a church have their joy dashed. We'll ask one relative what it was like in the church when jubilation turned to despair.

And the Sago Mine piled up dozens of violations as recently as last year. So why wasn't it shut down? We'll ask the agency responsible for oversight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: The heartbreak of the Sago Mine disaster is only compounded by the joy families felt when they believed, for a few brief hours, that their loved ones were alive.

Let's go back now to CNN's Brian Todd at the scene with a minute by minute look at how this drama unfolded. Brian?

TODD: John, I want to show you something very quickly. Take a look at this newspaper headline -- one of the things that we've been looking back on so sadly over this day. It represents a period of about three hours that literally could not have played out more cruelly for the miners' families.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Just before midnight, the bell begins to pale, and people go running towards Sago Baptist Church where family and friends of the trapped miners have been keeping vigil. Word spreads like wildfire that 12 of the 13 men have been found alive, and within minutes, ecstatic relatives are sharing their joy, live on the air with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Randy Kaye.

LISA FARRIS, SISTER-IN-LAW OF MINER: I love him and I missed him. I'm so glad he's alive.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a miracle to you? The governor's been saying ...

FARRIS: Best miracle ever.

JEFF WEAVER, NEPHEW OF MINER: Bells was ringing. People was screaming, hallelujah, praise the Lord and just said that the 12 miners had survived.

TODD: There's jubilation and rumors that the men will come directly to the church to be reunited with their families. But hours pass with no updates. No news conference. And only one lone ambulance is seen pulling up to the mine. Then, at 2:47 a.m., we learn the horrible truth.

LYNETTE ROBY, SAGO RESIDENT: There's only one -- there's only one made it out alive. But the governor's in there and this big in charge CEO of the mine is apologizing. And it's all -- they did nothing but -- I don't know how this information could come out ...

COOPER: Where have ...

ROBY: There's one person alive and he's already been moved to the hospital. There's screaming and yelling and the police are in a big brawl ...

JOHN CASTO, RELATIVE OF MINER: They began to holler and curse. And our pastor, he stayed. Got him settled down and he said looked toward God and this tragedy and when one guy, I don't believe in cussing, but one guy said what in the hell has God done for us? But just a few minutes before that, we was praising God.

TODD: It's after 3:00 a.m. when Ben Hatfield, president of the company that owns the mine, confirms there has been a miscommunication and that all but one of the men are dead. Hatfield says it's the worst day of his life. HATFIELD: Even myself, and the people that were with me in the building, the command center, for a period of time believed that there were twelve survivors because that was the initial communication that came to the command center. But it was wrong. And I -- I won't try to get into who misspoke. But it was wrong. And that certainly let us get excited and hopeful beyond the level certainly that we should have.

TODD: It's after 4:00 in the morning as shocked and heartbroken people leave the church. Some voicing their anger.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Finally they come. Mr. Hatfield, the CEO of the mines, he'd say he didn't know nothing. Finally he come up and he said they were always living. He even give us the directions of how he was bringing them in, he was going to take the emergency car, go up and get 'em. He was going to bring 'em to the church, to the families. He was supposed to come back within an hour. He come back three hours later, with news that they're gone. That there is no survivors. We want to know why? And how people can get by with this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They told us 30 minutes ago that the miners agreed to come up here to the church instead of going to the hospital. How could they agree if they didn't know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they're dead ...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Spoke to another family member a short time ago. He said he still can't believe the news that his cousin is dead. Company officials say they understand the anger of these families and they're working with them on issues of insurance and compensation.

John.

KING: Brian Todd. A horrible, horrible day -- miscommunication complicating a terrible tragedy. Thank you very much, Brian.

Wilbur Ross, he's the billionaire investor who heads the International Coal Group which owns that Sago Mine. He'll join Paula Zahn in an exclusive interview, that's coming at the top of the hour on PAULA ZAHN NOW. And just ahead here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the company defends itself. The dramatic press conference, hear it as it happened. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're Christian people ourself. We have got some of us is right down to saying that we don't even know if there is a Lord anymore. We had a miracle and it was taken away from us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It's a rollercoaster of emotions no family should ever have to go through. First, there was worry when the 13 West Virginia coal miners went missing. Then joy at word they were alive. Finally anger after those tears were silenced with news that it wasn't 12 who had lived, but 12 who had died and only one survivor.

The CEO of the coal mining company tried to explain the heart- wrenching confusion just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HATFIELD: 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Hatfield came under fire from family members when they found out the truth.

Up next, what happened inside that West Virginia church as friends and relatives went from euphoria to despair. We'll hear from a resident who was there. And families of the dead miners are outraged, looking to place blame. Are lawsuits appropriate after this mine disaster? We'll hear what you think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: What was it like inside the church when loved ones learned they thought facts turned out to be falsehoods. Lynette Roby was there as it happened. She joins me now live from the scene.

Lynette Roby, you were in the church in the early morning hours this morning when people were celebrating. They thought 12 miners had survived. Then word came that all but one were dead. Explain the scene, and, I assume, the chaotic confusion in that church at that moment.

LYNETTE ROBY, SAGO RESIDENT: It was the most chaotic event, most cruelest situation I felt like I've ever been placed in that it -- that I didn't even belong in. We came down for the sole purpose with my daughter to celebrate the miracle of our 12 -- our 12 neighborhood family members, so to speak -- it's such a close-knit community -- being rescued. Heard it from our governor and our congresswoman, and all over the news, and to celebrate for three hours and listening to people sing church hymns outside and hug each other, no one was strangers.

Then to be a part of people dropping to their knees and screaming and crying and just, it was the worst experience one could ever imagine.

KING: When the governor and the congresswoman said the miners were alive, did they say who told them that? Who did they attribute that information to?

ROBY: It just said that it had been confirmed that all 12 were alive. And they'd bring further information as it was available. But it is confirmed that 12 were alive and it was our congresswoman, Shelley Moore Capitol, as well as our governor, Joe Manchin.

KING: And take us inside the church if you will. You mentioned people getting the tragic news, the devastating news and falling to their knees. What were they saying? What did it look like in the church at that moment?

ROBY: Well, as the governor first approached and three or four vehicles behind him, you could tell from the governor's face that something, something appeared to be not right. He was just definitely very distraught. And everyone continued to chase him.

As he got out of the car. It was like a somber -- he was just totally in a somber state and everybody rushed, several hundreds rushing inside, and he stood at the stage with his head down, and then somebody just started screaming liar, liar, like possibly someone in the church had known something was up.

And Mr. Hatfield had said he took full responsibility for the miscommunication errors. He had stated that he would be in contact with everyone on the hour, and he wasn't, and he apologized for that. And people started screaming liar, liar, hypocrites and several obscenities. The next thing I know, Mr. Hatfield, screamed in a very loud tone, there are 11 miners dead and only one survived and then he blurted out the name of the survivor. And at that point, is when it gets like a mob scene.

KING: So if you were a family member of one of those who perished, that is how they found out? Mr. Hatfield blurted out the name of the one survivor, Mr. McCloy? The others obviously at that moment knew?

ROBY: Yes, that's exactly the way it appeared. I mean, he screamed, you know, he was getting yelled at. But the way it came across, it was very ruthless as far as I'm concerned. You know, people dropping to their knees, and hearing as soon as he said there are 11 dead and only one survived and people started screaming and he blurted out the name.

And that's when confrontation happened in the front of the church. Someone ran up to, I don't know, go towards Mr. Hatfield and was apprehended by I don't know, appears to be six to ten state troopers.

KING: And you --

ROBY: There's a scuffle on the floor.

KING: You're standing here with your 9-year-old daughter who you say you brought to be part of what you thought would be the celebration of a miracle.

ROBY: Yes, sir.

KING: And people suddenly dropped to their knees in despair as they're cussing, they're screaming, there's a great deal of anguish -- taking obviously an emotional toll on you. Are you worried about your daughter being there for that moment?

ROBY: I mean, you know, words can't express. You know, you want to do good for your children. You want them to be a part of such a wonderful experience as we had told it was going to be. Then you bring your children down there to something that obviously they're never going to forget but for all the wrong reasons.

People started pushing from the back, just shoving from the back of the church towards the front. And I immediately got a hold of Kiki and we pushed to get out as people were pushing and just trying to get up to the stage. And screaming and yelling, and it was very -- it was something that you never, you never would have guessed after three hours of freezing outside and rejoicing, you know, for some big miracle.

KING: And Lynette Roby, finally, company officials have tried to explain their position -- why they acted the way they did. From your conversations with your friends and neighbors ...

ROBY: That's ludicrous.

KING: ... do you think they will accept that explanation? It sounds like the answer is no.

ROBY: Definitely not, sir. Not at all. Not at all. There needs to be, you know, someone needs to come front for some sort of closure in this and step up to plate as if it was an official. I mean, from everybody that I have talked to, somebody told them that they were meeting, that the family members were being brought down to the church, and we all were waiting for that.

The next thing we know we're told everyone's dead but one survivor. There's a lot to be thankful that there is that one miracle. But the way this played out and the way it was made to go across the whole nation, not only West Virginia, it's appalling. KING: Lynette Roby we thank you for sharing your thoughts with us tonight. It's obviously been a very, very long day. We thank you and also thank your daughter for sticking there with you. Thank you so much.

The Sago Mine had hundreds of safety violations even last year. So we wanted to know why a mine on record with so many violations wasn't shut down.

Our Tom Foreman went to ask the agency responsible for monitoring mining safety.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, for a couple of days now the folks who are in charge of this for this country, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA, have been unwilling to say much of anything about the Sago Mine, about the inspections, or what they thought about the situation.

Today they had a conference call where they said they wanted to answer questions only on background. There was a bit of a revolution by reporters who said this is nonsense after 48 hours. They pressured them in to saying you must provide some public answers. And this is what they said.

They said last year they shut down parts of the Sago Mine, parts of it, 18 times. But despite that and despite the loss of life, they're defending their decision not to do more. The MSHA folks say the safety conditions in the mine did not warrant closure of the entire mine. That's despite everything that happened. This is important, because this is one of the primary investigation units that will be looking at what happened there, and whether or not it went wrong. We'll keep you updated.

John.

KING: Thanks very much, Tom Foreman. A lot of questions being raised not only about the mine operators but about MSHA.

We now have a better sense of exactly what happened when rescue workers reached the sole survivor.

Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner is here to give us a look.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: It's going to be some time before we get any pictures inside that mine, if at all. But we can give you an idea of what mine rescue workers go through.

This is from a Web site called the U.S. Mine Rescuers Association. What they have are photographs of a training exercise that these guys go through. Talk about the oxygen masks that they use, the gurneys that they use, the carts they bring people up on.

There's a whole series of these training exercise photographs. You can go through them. It will just give you an idea of what the conditions are that they're working under. Of course if you want to round out your coverage online, you can go to CNN's new broadband service called Pipeline. You can get a sense of all of the coverage including the latest vigils, the press conference we showed a little bit of. And it's really just a way to round out all of this information online.

KING: Thank you very much. Up next, would a labor union have made a difference in the Sago Mine disaster? Our Ali Velshi will have the "Bottom Line" on union versus non-union coal mines.

Plus are lawsuits appropriate in light of the tragedy? It's our question of the hour. Jack Cafferty is standing by with your email.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: The Sago Mine represents the modern face of coal mining and some say the danger of a non-union facility.

Our Ali Velshi is in New York with the "Bottom Line". Ali?

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, John. The reason coal is important to us is because more than half of the electricity that we use is generated by plants that use coal to fire that electricity. That number is increasing, which means more coal facilities, which means more non-unionized workers. Sago employed non-unionized workers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI (voice-over): Decades ago, before nuclear power and natural gas were big, there were a quarter million mine workers in America, and 70 percent of them were unionized. Today there are 74,000 U.S. coal miners, but only half of them are unionized. They're represented by the United Mine Workers of America. The union says its members are better protected.

DAN KANE, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: We cannot be disciplined in any way for insisting on a safe workplace. If we're given a job to do that we believe is dangerous, we can refuse.

VELSHI: The group representing mining companies agrees that unionized workers have a clearer complaint structure than non-union miners, but they say non-union shops give the same attention to safety. Concerned non-union workers can talk to shift supervisors who work in the mines with them, or to the mine's director of safety. Workers who fear reprisal can call a hot line run by the Department of Labor, which enforces mine safety and leave an anonymous tip.

But the Sago Mine was cited by the Department of Labor with 46 safety violations over the past three months. Would it have made a difference if the mine had been unionized? West Virginia mining veteran Virgil Bach says yes.

VIRGIL BACK, FORMER MINE WORKER: The non-union, you go to work, keep your mouth shut, do your job and go home. You go there and you see things, and you don't like what you see, you say too much, and you ain't around very long. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: And Virgil said to me that if he were at that mine, and it were unionized, he'd have made such a noise about it that no one would be working there.

John.

KING: Ali Velshi, with the "Bottom Line" in New York. Ali, thank you very much.

And let's find out now what's coming up in just a few minutes at the top of the hour on PAULA ZAHN NOW. Hi, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, John. Thanks so much. In about six minutes from now, I'm going to have an exclusive interview with the chairman of the International Coal Group. That happens to be the company that owns the Sago Mine in West Virginia. It will be the first interview with Wilbur Ross since the mine tragedy. We have a lot of questions for him tonight.

Also, what is it like to be starting over when you're nearly 100 years old? You're going to meet a couple in that predicament thanks to the Oklahoma grassfires. And John, I'll give you a little hint. We can all learn from their will and their sense of purpose, and their sense of hope.

KING: We'll watch for that as well as that interview with Mr. Ross -- a very important interview at the top of the hour. Thank you very much, Paula Zahn, coming up in just a few minutes.

And still ahead here, would families of the miners be right to sue the company that owns the coal mine? Our Jack Cafferty is looking through your email.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Let's go straight now to our Jack Cafferty in New York with your thoughts on the mine disaster. Jack?

CAFFERTY: Or Cafferty -- I answer to both. Thank you, John.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect lawsuits out of the tragedy in West Virginia. In fact, some relatives are already saying they plan to sue. The question in this hour, are lawsuits appropriate in light of the tragedy at the Sago Mine?

Here's some of what you've written.

Mark in Athens, Georgia writes: "I think the miners' families deserve answers, and if a lawsuit is the only way to do that, then by all means."

Tammy in Shelburne, Nova Scotia: "Just what we need, another waste of taxpayers' money to tie up the courts for years to come on a situation that cannot be paid for with money. What happened in that mine was horrible and devastating, but cold, hard cash won't bring those miners back."

Terry in Herndon, Virginia: "Unfortunately, lawsuits have become a way of life in our society. Hopefully the families will give the company leadership a chance to voluntarily provide compensation and establish scholarship funds for the young children. I think the company's doing it's best to accommodate the grieving and angry families."

Judy in Lake City, Florida writes: "With all the violations the mine company had before this happened, I think it's right for the families to file suit against them. With big companies, that's the only way you can get their attention."

And Candice writes: "If someone can sue McDonald's for hot coffee, then why shouldn't the survivors of this tragedy be able to sue for the loss of their loved ones?"

John.

KING: It'll be a while before they sort this investigation out, but I would think it's more than likely people will be in court, and probably in court pretty soon.

CAFFERTY: Oh, I'm sure the lawyers will be all over this -- big contingency fees here, you know.

KING: Big contingency fees -- it's a tragedy, but that's probably one of the inevitabilities in our society.

CAFFERTY: That's the mindset of this company. Yes, it's sad but true.

KING: Thank you very much, Jack Cafferty in New York.

I'm John King in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thanks for watching.

Let's head over now to Paula Zahn in New York. Paula?

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