At least 12 coal miners were trapped underground on Monday after an early morning explosion at a West Virginia, state and county officials said. Six miners escaped after the explosion at Sago mine, which was reported around 8 a.m., said Louise Bleigh of the Upshur County operations office in Tallmansville, West Virginia. She said 13 miners remained trapped. Terry Farley, an administrator at the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety, put the number at "approximately 12." "It's a rescue operation," Farley said in a telephone interview with Reuters. Residents said nearby houses shook after the explosion around 6 a.m., according to local media that said there was no no communication with the trapped miners. The cause of the explosion was unknown. Rescuers from state and federal safety agencies were on site and more were en route, according to Farley. The mine, owned by International Coal Group Inc, is located in central West Virginia, about 100 miles (160 km) from Charleston.
