Oct 6, 2006 By Josh Krysak 3 min read

At least one area union leader is speaking out about the mine tragedy that left 12 miners dead in Tallmansville, W.Va., after an explosion trapped the men underground without proper ventilation. The miners died after the explosion rocked the mine early Monday morning.

More than 40 hours later, 11 of the men’s bodies were found at the deepest point of the mine, about 2.5 miles from the mine entrance, behind a mine curtain stretched across an opening to keep out carbon monoxide.

The 12th victim was found near the blast site and another man, found with the 11 victims, Randal McCloy Jr., 26, of Simpson, W.Va., was discovered clinging to life among the victims.

Thursday, as federal investigators scoured the Sago Mine, local United Mine Workers of America President Ed Yankovich said that while his heart and the hearts of all miners across the country go out to the families of the victims, he felt “compelled” to talk about the accident and how dialogue between mine owners and miners needs to be an open line of communication to avoid such incidents.

“I don’t think it is wrong to talk about it now,” Yankovich said. “We owe it to these guys.”

Yankovich, a Uniontown resident, said while unionization may not have prevented the accident, it is possible it could have.

“It is clear that the workers were afraid to speak out over safety issues,” Yankovich said. “There were definitely serious violations and safety concerns. I can’t say if it had been a union operation that it would not have happened but at least it would have been a vehicle for workers to express concern.”

Yankovich said that the incident, apparently caused when an ignition lit a build up of methane gas, is one that should have been avoided.

“It disturbed the ventilation and we will never know what drove them to do what they did but they were experienced miners and felt their best hope was to retreat further into the mine. They did suffer from oxygen deficiency and they did die a horrific death. They knew what was happening and I can’t imagine what they went through,” he said.

Yankovich said the tragedy is a call to all miners.

“I think workers in this country really need to sit back and look at this,” Yankovich said. “I mean the trend is toward less regulations and unsafe workplaces and diminished workers rights. They need to decide if that is what they want.”

Yankovich also chastised the Bush administrations’ response to the tragedy, calling the president’s promise of the weight of the federal government to examine the tragedy “hollow words.”

He said that while he trusts and respects the local federal inspectors, he is concerned that the current policies engender lax enforcement of penalties for mine violations.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” Yankovich said of the blast. “They should have measures in place to vent out methane.”

He said that if a positive can be wrought from the tragedy, it would be to bring mine safety discussion to the forefront.

Meanwhile, the lone surviving coal miner was listed in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he was in a coma late Thursday. He was undergoing extensive breathing treatments to treat his lungs after severe oxygen deprivation.

Mine officials were continuing to investigate the accident Thursday.

The Sago mine is owned by International Coal Group.

The company was formed in 2004 and is based in Kentucky.