national correspondent jim axelrod is in montcoal, west virginia. jim, it's been more than four days since this explosion. where does the rescue operation stand now? >> reporter: katie, for the third time in two days rescue teams are back inside the mine, although it is clear to say with every passing hour chances grow slimmer for a miracle in west virginia. the funerals started today in west virginia. 61-year-old benny willingham was among the first laid to rest. his army buddies flew here from california to say good-bye. they used to ask their pal about his dangerous job. >> he said "it is what it is, i've got to take care of the family." he knew what the possibilities could be. >> reporter: the remaining glimmer of hope continued to fade this afternoon after more frustration for rescue crews. at 12:45 this morning, two teams with eight workers each had entered the mine again focused on two refuge chambers, the last places where the miners could be alive. they got to the first one, it was empty. but then more trouble. the crews were half a mile awa

our national correspondent jim axelrod is in mont coal, west virginia. and, jim, how serious is this setback? >> reporter: with slim hope growing only slimmer, katie, and frustration rising, the rescue teams are now preparing to head back into the mine, in sometime in the next few hours and resume their search for the four missing miners. for the family and friends of four missing miners in west virginia, there is little left to do but hold hands and pray. >> we still have four men underground that i know that the god lord savior can reach out and touch them. >> reporter: just before 5:00 this morning, four teams, each with eight rescue workers, entered the mine. four hours later, they had traveled three miles by rail, another mile or so on four-wheel all-terrain vehicles, then walked to within a half mile of their target, a safe room thought to be the most likely place where the missing miners could still be alive. >> if we have any hope of survival and they're in the rescue chamber, they're still okay. that's-- i mean, that's the sliver of hope we have.

jim axelrod reports. >> reporter: when the sirens started sounding in yazoo city, mississippi, reed timmer> definitely one of the biggest tornadoes i've ever seen. >> reporter: timmer is a storm chaser, one of those souls, hearty or nutty, take your pick, who speed toward whatever else is running away from. gathering information on wind speeds and storm paths that could save lives. >> i think most people would ask why we storm chase. there's really very little money in it. i haven't dated much at all. i really have no life outside of storm chasing. >> reporter: while hollywood's conferred some glamour on the intrepid scientists chasing tornadoes, timmer, a ph.d. candidate in meteorology, says it's data, not thrills, that he's seeking. >> i've devoted 13 years of my life studying the science. i'm probably 90% scientist. if i was a thrill seeker, i'd be skydiving. >> reporter: in the old days, there was another motive. the money available for selling pictures like these. but jeff, who has been chasing storms for 30 years, says if it's money you're after now, guess again. >> you'd have to get

>> couric: jim axelrod in charleston, west virginia. jim, thank you. and coming up next here on the "cbs evening news," what the catholic church here in washington is doing to protect children from becoming victims of sexual abuse. not that long ago, many families were priced out of an overheated housing market. but the times have changed. get the facts at remax.com. it's a great place to see all the listings in thousands of cities and towns. with tax credits for buyers, low interest rates and down-to-earth prices, the dream of owning a home seems more attainable than ever. find out what an experienced re/max agent can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. 100% natural nuts and granola in bite sized clusters. it's a little bit of nature... a little bit better. and nature approves. granola nut clusters from nature valley. caused by a completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix take

>> jim axelrod in know made, thank you. joining us now, governor mansion.ood morning. >> good morning. how close do you feel we are to having an answer about the fate of those four missing miners? >> we believe we'll have that answer today and it will move very rapidly. at 4:55 this morning, we had four teams go into the upper big branch portal. and that's 32 rescuers and they're progressing pretty rapidly. they're on a man trip on the rails and they'll be able to use that until they have to stop because of the conditions. with you they have to be very cautious not to get ahead of any danger, so they'll be monitoring and assessing the complete conditions of that mine and then h they'll have to do the rest of the way by foot carrying all of their gear in. we're in a total rescue mode right now, maggie, until we are able to go in there and find the four miners that we haven't been able to locate. that means that we'll be in a total rescue mode. if for any reason, and i can tell you the desires of the family, if for any reason that we get to a certain point an

and we're joined now by cbs news national correspondent jim axelrod. jim, safety is such a big issue here. remember those congressional hearings that took place after sago. all these recommendations were made. what has been the result? >> after those recommendations were made, there was a government review and it was recent. and in that review, just 8% of all u.s. mines have the new communication and tracking gear that those hearings required. so the intent of the review was to establish ways when things like that that miners can communicate and that they can be tracked. only 8% followed up on the intent. >> although in this case, they apparently had those procedures in place, but the severity of the explosion was so significant it literally blew all of that stuff out. >> right. and we're finding out a little bit more about massey, as well. that there have been no fatalities at this plant, the montcoal plant, but there's an injury record here that is higher than the national average. the company was fined over $380,000 for their 458 violations just last

jim axelrod is in naoma, west virginia with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. we've just been given an update. apparently those rescue teams went in overnight about quarter to 1:00 this morning. the idea was to check two recent crew chambers. they made it to the first, it was empty. but then more high levels of a potentially explosive mixture of gases and a fire prevented the miners from getting to the second rescue chamber and checking that out before they were pulled out of the mine. rescue workers drilled another hole like this h one, got more air in, and early friday morning, headed back in to the mine. >> ran in to some bad conditions and again had to pull the teams out for their safety. >> reporter: but once again poisonous air forced the rescuers to retreat. as the community begins to gather for a series of wakes and funerals, rescue teams are hoping to provide some final answers for people who desperately want them. >> the first thing that hit me was leak we might actually find out what's going on. >> reporter: so closing in on four days after the viole

jim axelrod has the latest on this coal mine disaster. >> reporter: good morning. early this morning rescue workers confirmed what had been feared here all week that yes, those four missing miners were indeed dead. conditions were so bad inside the mine, so much smoke and so much dust, that those rescue teams had actually walked past the bodies of these mean miners their first trip on monday. just after midnight, a grim governor joe manchin of west virginia matt announcement. >> we did not receive the miracle we prayed for. we have accounted for four miners that had been unaccounted for. we have a total of 29 brave miners who we're recovering at this time. we have been spending time with the family as you can tell. it's a very difficult time, they're strong, loving and good people, but very, very hard times. >> reporter: you heard the governor talk there about 29 miners. seven bodies were taken out right after the explosion, that mean 2/2 more have to come out of the mine. no time table on that. a community wide memorial is set for tomorrow. >> jim al ex-rod for us

as jim axelrod reports search teams are still trying to recover more bodies. >> massey energy has a record with plenty to exam in. in 2009 they had 425 safety violations. the investigation will take months to complete. >> if you're not using that history of violations, to make sure miners aren't put at risk it is useless. >> jason adkins. >> it was a grime weekend here in southern west virginia. bells tolled in churches. >> william roosevelt lynch. >> reporter: after the bodies of the four missing miners were found saturday morning, and west virginia began to mourn. >> can you just say thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you coalminers. [ applause ] >> reporter: an eight-year-old, the son and grandson of miners, seemed to sum it up best. >> i say this is heartbreaking. everybody must pray for this accident and pray for our coalminers. please. please pray for them. . >>> west virginia governor is leading a memorial today for victims of a previous mining catastrophe. he will place a wreath at a statue of the 12 men who will have the their life there four years ago. >>> kai is in the newsroom t