tonight on "nightline," pray for a miracle. is there any hope for the four miners trapped underground in west virginia? as a desperate drilling effort begins, we've got the inside story of the worst mining disaster in more than 25 years. bullied to death. as three of nine suspects enter not guilty pleas, how prosecutors say a ruthless group of teens drew pretty new girl phoebe prince to take her own life. should parents and school officials share the blame? plus, bacon bliss. from bacon fashion to bacon flavored everything. it may be a heart stopper, but the bacon boom is sizzling. and it's tonight's "sign of the times." >> announcer: from the global

resources of abc news, with martin bashir and cynthia mcfadden in new york city, and terry moran in washington, this is "nightline," april 6th, 2010. >> good evening. amid the grief and anger and prayer in west virginia tonight, there is faint hope. hope that the four coal miners who remain missing may still be alive. but even if a miracle is waiting underground, the damage has been done. and along with the mourning now come the difficult questions about how this mine is being operated, and whether this explosion could have been prevented. our chief investigative correspondent brian ross has tonight's report. brian? >> reporter: terry, tonight, authorities continue to hold out some slim hope that four miners who are unaccounted for may have somehow survived the horrendous underground blast. otherwise, it was a day of very grim news. 25 dead and many troubling

questions about why a mine with serious and repeated safety issues was still operating. the scene at the mine is quiet tonight. recovery efforts ended because the buildup of methane gas made it unsafe for anyone to go back into the mine. but with many of the families not yet knowing whether their loved ones are among the dead or the still missing, there is an agonizing hope for a miracle. >> everyone's going to cling onto that hope of a miracle that if there's one miracle, two, three or four, that one of those miracles are their husband or their dad or their brother. that is the true agony of this. >> reporter: the power of yesterday's explosion, however, makes survival highly unlikely. it happened deep inside the upper big branch mine at the afternoon shift change. 61 miners coming and going on what are called man trips, the underground railroad. and then, what one of the

survivors described to diane sawyer as hurricane-force winds. >> when i felt the air, i knew it was wrong. i knew -- in my mind i was certain what had happened. so i got out of the man trip and got out on foot. i felt like the air was going to pick me up. >> reporter: and carry you -- >> and blow me out. i actually got scared. >> reporter: stewart saw the bodies of some of the men who were killed instantly. is. >> something that i never, ever wanted to see, and i had to see it. and -- it's tough. i'm sorry. >> reporter: into the night, as rescue teams raced to the mine, word soon spread that anyone still inside was likely dead. >> i just started getting all these phone call, i've been outside, and they told me that -- they asked me if kevin

was working the evening or night, and that's all they said. when i told them evening they told me there had been an explosion. >> reporter: by morning across the county, down country roads, families tried to come to terms with the loss. diana davis told david muir of abc news she lost her husband and two young nephews. >> he just loved to hunt. and he loved to work. and he worked for me and these kids. and we just miss him and we love him so much. >> reporter: her son, cody, was one of the miners who escaped, passing his father on the way out. >> he should have been here with me today. >> reporter: the owner of the mine, massey energy, is a big company, with some 35 underground mines. record profits. and a criminal record for willfully violating mine safety laws. >> i believe that profits were

placed ahead of people. >> reporter: massey says its workers are taught safety first. but an investigation of a fatal mine accident in 2006 that killed two miners at another massey mine suggests otherwise. >> the evidence showed a fundamental and basic disregard for the safety of the miners at the alma number one mine. so much so that the subsidiary agreed to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges as a result of a federal investigation. >> reporter: the company pleaded guilty to a total of ten criminal counts, including one felony, and paid a then-record fine of $4.2 million. but the massey ceo, don blankenship, told diane sawyer today that his company is a leader in mine safety. >> massey has probably the safest record, you know, in 18 of the last 20 year, we've been safer than the industry average. >> reporter: but over the last

year at the upper big branch mine, there has been a surge of federal safety citations, many flay grant and repeated, and one above the national average for serious violations. 548 sigh ticitations in 2009. 122 so far this year. 58 last month alone. including almost daily citations related to proper ventilation or the dangerous accumulation of coal dust, suspected to be a cause in yesterday's accident. >> that's a red flag. it's going to say, wait a minute, something's gone wrong here. >> reporter: federal safety officials were on the defensive today, pressed to explain why inspectors considered the mine to be safe. >> we wouldn't have had an explosion if it was operating safely. so, i mean, we have to ascertain the reason behide why it wasn't safe, but an explosion wouldn't have happened if there wasn't a problem here. >> reporter: but kevin strickland, one of the country's top federal mine safety

official, claim that even with the continue and recurring problems over the last month, the law did not allow him to shut the mine down. >> you're asking if i had the ability to shut a mine down based on what i find, and the answer to that is no. >> reporter: other mine safety experts say strickland is wrong, that the law does provide a basis for shutting down a dangerous mine. >> the two tiers are imminent danger, that is, fear the mine blowing up today, or that there's a pattern of violations that put people at risk. >> reporter: the massey ceo told diane sauli isawyer told said t number of violations did not mean the mine was unsafe. >> this particular mine has had more violations. it hasn't had a lost time accident until these fatals this year. >> reporter: we're talking serious citations here, including coal dust accumulation and methane. should have mine have been operating?

>> the mine safety and health administration, the state agencies, all the safety people we have on hand all felt this was a safe coal mine. this mine struggled with violations some and was diligently working on them, but all the regulators agreed that it was a workable mine. >> reporter: blankenship is a powerful and imposing figure in west virginia. >> if you're going to start taking a pictures of me, you're liable to get shot. >> reporter: he's raised millions of dollars on behalf of local politicians,nd became upset when abc news tried to ask him about that in 2008. >> let go of me! >> reporter: to many, blankenship is a symbol of arrogance and greed of cole in west virginia. >> my experience with him has been he's an accountant bottom line guy and if -- his emphasis is on the bottom line. >> reporter: in nearby whitesville, west virginia, miners and their families gathered for prayer. >> reporter: it's a dangerous

job. a lot only ties we take for granted what we shouldn't. we should always pray for your miners. this may bond people closer together. >> reporter: tomorrow, the rescue and recovery teams will try a last ditch effort to see if anyone is still alive in the mine, bringi ing everything to halt to assure silence and sending tap signals that miners would recognize, and if alive and able, respond to. after that, with no response, the effort will fully shift to recovering the bodies of the worst mine disaster in the last 25 yea in this country. terry? >> all right, brian. there's another night, then, of hope and prayer and grief in west virginia coal country. thanks to brian ross for that report. when we come back, we'll have new details in a bullying case that ended in a 15-year-old's suicide, and nineteens facing criminal charges. but what about the adults?

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thanks for your help. it is the type of bullying that happens in school hallways and online in every town and city in the country, but one high profile case in a small town in massachusetts that ended in the suicide of a 15-year-old girl moved to court today, where nine teens faced charges tied to her death. and now it's not just students charged, but questions about what school officials and parents knew, and why no one stepped in, as andrea canning reports. >> reporter: one by one, the

attorneys for threof the nine teens accused of bullying phoebe prince to the point of suicide -- >> not guilty pleas be entered at this time -- >> reporter: stood up and pleaded not guilty on behalf of their clients. the charges ranging from criminal hair rasment to statutory rape. but missing in the courtroom were the teens themselves, who weren't obligated to face the judge today. how is your client doing? >> well, she's having a difficult time. she's a young woman. 17 years old. not used to being a figure known around the world. >> reporter: prosecutors say the teens became a cruel part of phoebe prince's new world last year. shortly after she moved from ireland to massachusetts with her family to be closer to relatives. >> there was a lot of bullying. >> a lot of people would taunt and tease her, call her names. >> reporter: within weeks, the

15-year-old freshman with the contagious laugh allegedly became the target of a group of so-called mean girls. jealous she was dating the captain of the football team, who was also among the charged. >> they don't see it as, i'm doing bullying, that's not what they see. they see, i'm the leader in this school. no one gets to challenge that. >> reporter: rosalyn weissman, author of "queen bees and wannabes," works closely with schools on anti-bullying programs. >> if you hook up with a guy that i used to hang out with, by any way -- by any way that you assert in any kind of way any kind of social power, i have the absolute right to take it away from you. >> reporter: prosecutors say prince was taunted 24/7, from facebook to phone calls to the hallways of school, where her books were literally knocked out of her hands. >> relentless activity directed toward phoebe designed to

humiliate her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school. >> reporter: and what has become the most shocking part of this case is that many people in the school, including school officials, allegedly knew that phoebe was being bullied. >> the overall school culture was such that even the people that wanted to do something about it felt like there was nothing they could do that would make a difference. >> reporter: so on january 14th, the bullying became too much to bear for phoebe. >> a or the cher rous day for her in which she was subjected to veeshal harassment and threatened physical abuse. >> reporter: there are allegations that on her way home from school, fellow students through a soft drink can at her. phoebe returned home and took her own life. her bodice covered by her younger sister. >> someone told her to go hang herself and i don't really know who that was, but she was getting bullied by some people because there were people talking about her and i guess

she just didn't like being hated. >> reporter: community and national reaction was intense and immediate. the small town of south hadley became the focus of the national spotlight, and a larger debate about bullying, when the d.a. took the strong stance charging the nine teens. now those teenagers accused of taunting phoebe are the subject of harassment themselves. >> this is a 16-year-old girl who i feel has been tried an convicted unfairly by the general public. she has been receiving significant harassment over the internet and other ways. >> reporter: but are the teens the only ones to blame? the d.a.'s investigation claims school administrators ignored the signs in the days leading up to phoebe prince's death. >> prior to phoebe's death, her mother spoke with at least two school staff members. the actions or inactions of some adults at the school are troublesome. >> reporter: still, they faced no charges or disciplinary

action, sparking outrage among the community. >> the town is hiding behind whatever it is they can get away with hiding behind. >> reporter: parents held a series of town hall meetings demanding answers. >> this should have never happened and they should have done something about it and they sought brought up on charges as well. > . >> i sent my kid to school hoping s would be safe. >> reporter: mitch says his daughter has been tormented at school by some of the same girls that allegedly bullied phoebe prince. >> one individual beat the tar out of her. we tried to go to the administration and beg them for help. beg them to remove these kids from school. >> reporter: do you understand why the parents are so angry? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: what do you say to them? >> i say i think it's a question of patience. >> reporter: patience parents will need as the school board reviews evidence from the d.a.'s

investigation. >> schools have always been a place, unfortunately, where it has been easy for social injustice to run rampant, . >> reporter: the school has started an anti-bullying task force. >> we are the focus now and we should be the ones to have the solution at hand. and offer it to other communities. >> reporter: i'm andrea canning for "nightline" in south hadley, massachusetts. >> a call for greater individual lens in our schools. thanks to andrea for that report. and when we come back, we're going to give you some lighter fare here. a favorite food that is sizzling in popularity.

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>> annou >> announcer: "nightline" continues from washington with terry moramoran. >> well, it's not exactly healthy, but it's a carnivores delight with an unmistakable smell and sizzle. a food as delicious alongside breakfast as it is on top of dinner for some. and while it may not be for everyone, these days, bacon is everywhere. yep. we are living in a bacon bonanza. and for john bman, that's a "sign of the times." >> reporter: does that sound fill you with patriotic pride? the smell, with american glory? >> this bacon is basically the same as what thomas jefferson would have had for breakfast. >> reporter: the taste, democratic deliciousness. >> this bacon goes back to, like, the first pig that walked in america. >> reporter: it's practically right there in the declaration

of independence. we hold these trooults to be self-evident that all men are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. life, liberty and the pursuit of -- the pursuit of -- the pursuit of bacobacon. bacon is our history. >> it is. >> reporter: bacon is essential to our freedoms. >> the lean and the fat run together like the red white and blue. >> reporter: at rub, new york city barbecue mecca, meat expert and "time" writer josh explained the current market for bacon are we going through a bacon renaissance? >> it's not a renaissance because bacon's never been this big before. >> reporter: it's a bacon -- >> the classical age. >> reporter: we're in the classical age? >> this is it. >> reporter: the age of bacon. that's good. it is only such an age that could foster the development of a phenomenon like chocolate covered bacon. it's so good! more than hatch of u.s. households say they always have

bacon in the kitchen. and in restaurants, menu items containing bacon are up 26.5% since 2005. is bacon a stand alone phenomenon or a side show? >> bacon is like the character on a sitcom that's brought in as the zany neighbor and takes over the show with the catch phrases or whatever. >> reporter: what do you like most about bacon? >> the fat. the fat is what i love mos about the bacon. the fat is the meat. and the meat is the vegetable. >> reporter: that's pretty deep. >> i think it is. >> reporter: it's naughty. >> yeah, it's like a secret tryst, like, it's like the bacon version of the who's to nomo tell, you know? >> reporter: so we like bacon because it's naughty. >> no, we like it because it's good. it's naughty because we like it so much. >> reporter: the age of bacon. an age responsible for the bacon wrapped hot dog. really good. it turns out that bacon is not

good for you. >> no, it's not. >> reporter: does that bother you? >> no. >> reporter: what does bother this profit phet of pork? well, the age of bacon, as it were, has spawned an out of control pop culture of bacobaco. is this a sign that bacon'gone too far? >> i don't think you could say it isn't. this is bacon balm here. bacon floss. bacon gum balls. >> reporter: try it. >> i don't -- >> reporter: yeah -- >> yeah. >> reporter: there's bacon fashion. >> a bacon man. >> reporter: bacon salt, bacon popcorn. bacon brittle, bacon saint. bacon band says. air fresheners, cookies. bacon mayonnaise. what wouldn't you not mix bacon with? >> i can't think of anything. >> reporter: and there is culinary excess. the bacon explosion.

bacon on top of bacon on top of sausage. >> has not enough bacon in it. >> reporter: as i sip my old fashioned with bacon, ponder this -- cheers. is it possible that, as it might be, bacon is no longer cool? ahh. so you don't care if it's cool or hip? >> i didn't start eating bacon because i wanted people to like me and i'm certainly not going to stop because those same people have moved onto their next fashionable flesh. >> reporter: and the bacon business -- >> booming. >> reporter: bacon's future? >> infinite. a broad sunlit upland. >> reporter: any downside to bacon? >> not that i can see. >> reporter: except the heart attacks. >> can't have everything, john. >> reporter: i'm john berman for "nightline" in new york. >> looks happy to clog those arteries. and we'll be right back, but first, here's jimmy kimmel with what's coming up next on "jimmy kimmel live." >> jimmy: thanks, terry.

tonight, kobe bryant, danc [ beeping ] ♪ my country ♪ 'tis of thee ♪ sweet land ♪ of liberty ♪ of thee i sing [ laughs ] ♪ oh, land ♪ where my fathers died ♪ land of the pilgrims' pride ♪ from every mountainside ♪ let freedom ring ♪