TALLMANSVILLE, W. Va. – One moment they were praising God, the next they were cursing His name.
That’s how furious those in a church full of heartbroken West Virginians were early Wednesday after reports of the miraculous rescue of 12 miners turned out to be false.
“I believe that everybody was stunned,” said John Casto, who was celebrating in the Sago Baptist Church with the miners’ relatives when they were hit by a tsunami of grief. “Just a few minutes before they were praising God and then they was cursing because they thought they lost a loved one.”
Casto, who lost a friend in the mine, said some men tried to slug the mine operator who delivered the devastating news. He said the church pastor tried to calm the furious crowd by saying, “Look toward God.”
“One of the men said, “What in the hell has God done for us?”‘ Casto said, his eyes welling up with tears.
The volcanic anger that transformed Bible-fearing men into blasphemers erupted after the relatives had spent three hours rejoicing over erroneous reports that all but one of the missing 13 miners had been delivered from Sago Mine.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said he was inside the church talking with relatives around midnight when suddenly “we started hearing cheering and clapping.”
A man had burst into the church and blurted out, “There are miracles – 12 alive and one dead,” witnesses said. Others said they got cell phone calls from mineworkers.
“And so with that, I’m saying. “Are you sure?”‘ Manchin said. “I mean, by this time everyone’s running out, church bells are ringing, and we’re all in a very euphoric situation. … Talk about miracle of all miracles.”
While Manchin raced back to the command center to check out the story, many relatives fell to their knees and sang hymns while other joyous relatives spilled out of the church and waited outside for the missing miners.
“We waited and waited,” Casto said. “The loved ones and families were out on the porch wrapped in blankets waiting for their fathers and brothers.”
Casto said that when, in the distance, they spotted “the black vehicles and the state police, we still was thinking they was alive.” Even the grim looks on the faces of International Coal Group Inc. CEO Ben Hatfield and Manchin did not register with them at first. It was Hatfield who delivered the grim news.
Anna Casto, who is related to Casto, said, “Somebody should be punished for messing with our hearts. … They had us so happy up there.”
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