Bishop offers prayers as two more coal miners lose lives in January

Published: 2006-01-23

MELVILLE, W.Va. (CNS) -- As two more West Virginia miners lost their lives in the state's second coal mining accident in January, Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston offered prayers and pledged the church's assistance to those affected by the tragedy. Miners Don I. Bragg, 33, and Ellery Hatfield, 47, were found dead Jan. 21 after they had disappeared into the Aracoma Alma No. 1 Coal Mine in Melville, following a fire that erupted on a conveyor belt the evening of Jan. 19. Bragg and Hatfield had been part of a 12-member crew. The other 10 miners of that group were able to escape when the fire broke out. "Once again this month Catholics join with fellow West Virginians in mourning a tragic loss of lives due to a mining disaster," Bishop Bransfield said. "The announcement of the deaths of Don Bragg and Ellery Hatfield stirs our hearts and prompts us to offer our deepest sympathy and pledge of prayerful support to the families and loved ones these good men have left behind."

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