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CNN Sunday Morning

Rescued Miners Treated at Local Hospitals for Minor Injuries

Aired July 28, 2002 - 09:39   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: It all started at 1:00 a.m. this morning when the first person, the first miner was retrieved 240 feet from below the earth there in Somerset, PA. It's a story we have been following since Wednesday. Our Brian Palmer has been there to cover it for is, he joins us now with more. And, Brian, it was about by 3:00 a.m. that all nine were top side. Now, they're in local hospitals. Is there any word on their condition?

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, there is some word. There was actually a press conference. Let me just sort of break it down to you -- there are nine miners in total, three of them were taken to a hospital here in Somerset, six were taken to a trauma center in Johnstown, which is just a few dozen miles away with chest pains, aches and pains and also mild hypothermia. They're in fair and good condition, safe and reasonably sound, after 77 hours beneath -- at 240 feet below ground level.

Now, there was a press conference at the hospital in Johnstown, and some of the doctors spoke about the condition and some of the requests of the miners.

And among those requests were for chewing tobacco and some of the first things that they ate were donuts. So, these folks after spending such a tremendous amount of time underground did manage to there -- they're sort of bouncing back. We've heard that, at least at the Johnstown Hospital, the miners will be there for probably another full day, because the doctors want to check out all of the various complaints that they have, but as far they know there are no life threatening illnesses or conditions.

The actual rescue itself, as you can see from these pictures was a rather arduous task. They were brought up in this cage-like device, and then put into these gurneys, they were brought out vertical, and taken to the hospital horizontal -- again, because they were just exhausted after all that time under the ground dehydrated, and also incredibly hungry after 77 odd hours with no food.

And the rescuers themselves had a rather arduous task, but they never quit. And we've been talking all morning -- really, for these three days about the tremendous optimism showed by the folks who have been talking to us, the people from the department of environmental protection, the various volunteer agencies, how the rescuers have just been in. I can't even say the word, they've been inexhaustible, they've been absolutely amazing, and we've been here for almost four days, and not once did I hear the words -- the sort of foreboding words, death, dying, anything like that, they were continuously up beat.

Catherine and Thomas, back to you.

ROBERTS: Brian, well we love their spirit there. We can all take a page out of their notebook there.

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