Miracle in West Virginia

***The following post was written before the correction hit the wires*** On early Monday, an explosion trapped 13 coal miners 260 feet underground in Tallmansville, West Virginia. Test showed that carbon monoxide levels were at three times the lethal level. Late Monday night, 50-year-old Terry Helms was found dead in a mine shaft by rescue workers. Everybody feared the worst, and naturally so. It had been over 40 hours without any word whatsoever from the miners. No communication, and with toxic air levels, everyone was starting to fear the worse.

Then, around midnight, everything changed. People who were praying at the Sago Baptist vigil received a call from a mine foreman, who told the congregation that the remaining twelve miners were found alive. The church, several hundred strong, starting singing "How Great Thou Art", and then everybody starting streaming from the church, running to tell the joyous news to whoever they could, yelling "They're alive!" and "Praise the Lord!"

"Miracles happen in West Virginia," said Charlotte Weaver, the wife of one of the miners. "And today we got one."

The body of Mr. Helms was found about 700 feet from a mine car, and reports say that it looks like he was working on a beltline, which brings coal out of the mine. The mine car was empty, which might mean the others were already somewhere else, somewhere safe inside the mine.

Against all odds, and after hundreds of prayers, a miracle happened in West Virginia: Twelve miners, against all odds, survived 41 hours trapped underground.