It was the faint moaning of the lone survivor that led rescuers to the bodies of the West Virginia miners, authorities said Wednesday.
Randal McCloy was gasping for breath, huddled with the dead bodies of his 11 fellow miners behind a curtainlike barrier erected in a desperate attempt to keep out toxic gases as they waited for help, authorities said.
McCloy, 27, was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday, but he was able to communicate with his wife by squeezing her hand and with facial expressions, said Dr. Lawrence Roberts of West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital.
McCloy was undergoing dialysis after doctors reinflated a collapsed lung.
“Having been laying still for so many hours and being poorly hydrated for that period of time has resulted in some kidney dysfunction,” Roberts said.
The condition should be temporary, and his other vital signs appeared normal, Roberts said, noting McCloy’s youth may have given him an edge. The other miners were mostly in their 50s.
McCloy’s miraculous rescue early Wednesday came after he and 11 others had been trapped for more than 42 hours following a predawn Monday explosion, possibly triggered by lightning.
The body of another miner, believed to have been killed by the force of the blast, was found 700 feet from where McCloy and the 11 others were found.
Curtain
The dozen miners had draped a curtain made of plastic and fabric across the 20-foot width of a chamber to keep out carbon monoxide, which had been detected in deadly concentrations inside the mine.
“These miners tried desperately to secure an area of safe breathing environment,” said Ben Hatfield, chief executive of International Coal Group Inc., which owns the Sago Mine.
Each man had breathing equipment with enough oxygen for one hour of “aggressive walking” – which means the supply could have lasted for a number of hours at rest, Hatfield said.
It was unclear immediately whether the 11 men had died of carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said. The level of carbon monoxide in McCloy’s blood was elevated, but it did not reach the level of poisoning, Roberts said.
McCloy remained sedated to keep him from removing a tube inserted to ease his breathing, Roberts said. A CAT scan did not show any brain damage, but it was unclear if McCloy would regain full brain function.
McCloy and his wife, Anna, have two children. His wife pleaded Wednesday, “Please keep praying for him.”
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