© 2026 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sago Inquiry: All That Could Go Wrong, Did

The investigator of this year's disaster at the Sago coal mine in West Virginia issues a preliminary report that narrows the possible causes of the explosion. Still, the report states that, after the explosion, "everything that could go wrong, did go wrong."

Twelve miners died -- one in the explosion itself, 11 others because they were trapped; rescuers did not reach them before they succumbed to carbon monoxide. Of the miners who were trapped, only one survived. Melissa Block talks with Davitt McAteer, who was appointed by West Virginia's governor to head the investigation.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.