As CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta was interviewing Dr. Susan Long, who was treating a patient brought to them, a family ran up to reporter Anderson Cooper on live television and said there was commotion at the nearby church, fistfights and that the worst fears were confirmed.
Only one miner was found alive.
In one of the worst twists of fate, several witnesses (and now the two cable news stations) are begrudgingly reversing their earlier jubilant reports that all but one of the miners were found alive. Now it seems to be only one of the miners were recovered alive.
In a press conference just past 3 a.m., Ben Hatfield, President of the International Coal Group confirmed there was a "miscommunication" in the now preliminary reports that there were "multiple survivors."
"This is certainly not the outcome we had hoped for and prayed for," Hatfield said.
Randal McCloy is the only survivor. And Anderson Cooper never sleeps.
Say it with me, fellow Americans.
"Holy shit."
Article comments
1 - Triniman
I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that this sort of miscommunication would be reported as quickly as possible. I thought I heard that the carbon monoxide levels were greatly in excess of safe levels, so I wondered how they survived. A miracle? We could use a few more of those, these days.
2 - swingingpuss
My heart goes out to the family members. I can't imagine what they must be going through.
3 - Nancy
This is so terrible. Those poor people; what a way to start a new year.
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
For those who want an insider view into my thought process during this piece (an insomniac who was stunned by the news at 3 a.m. yet had to get up in a few hours for work), I was thisclose to including in the headline the phrase "Never Mine."
Even I'm not that politically incorrect.
5 - Sister Ray
What an awful shock for those people. Sometimes we hear what we want to hear.
Much darker "Dewey defeats Truman" for a new century.
6 - Claire
I watched all of this unfold last night, from around 10 until 4:20 am, Anderson Cooper and CNN did an amazing job. I checked Fox once or twice and it really shows which network is more on top of the story- as fox ran reruns, CNN was bouncing from correspondents to interviews with family memebers, as well as doing there best to pick there way though the chaos and when the did they were the first to break the real story. They did an outstanding job. I hope that now they can find the truth in this for the families of the miners that died in the ordeal.
7 - Scott Butki
I would be curious your take on my position on this media mess.
This is such an awful, sad mess.
8 - Matthew T. Sussman
It's sad, it's unfortunate, it's even a bit of cruel. But I was afraid this was just going to be another blame game. And in something like this, there's no benefit from trying to find a blame, but instead
I don't blame the media either. As for those newspapers who had the wrong story on the front page -- well, that's probably as cruel as it gets, but their punishment is they have to live with that in their archive.
9 - Matthew T. Sussman
What I really think happened was that in an attempt to divert the liberal media's attention from Abramoff, Karl Rove orchestrated an explosion in the mine so that Halliburton could be given a no-bid contract to clean up the mess, then when they were running out of time and the rescue mission was nearing an end, they needed more time. So Scooter Libby leaked to the press that the miners were alive.
10 - Temple Stark
You've got it Matt. ER in #8 that is ;-)
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
Sure but what am I gonna do with all this tinfoil?
12 - Scott Butki
Oh there's always a benfit in blaming others - such as removing some blame from yourselves.
Watch everyone pointing fingers today.