4 Miners Found Dead in West Virginia Coal Mine

Searchers found four bodies deep in a West Virginia coal mine shattered by an explosion, raising the death toll to 29 and ending an excruciating week for families holding onto faint hopes that their missing miners had somehow survived.

Crews are to soon begin the bleak task of carrying out 22 bodies from Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine, though officials said Saturday no timetable has been set. Seven bodies were removed after Monday's blast, making it the worst U.S. coal mining disaster since a 1970 explosion killed 38 in Hyden, Ky.

Read the rest of this entry >>