steve centanni leads our coverage in west virginia. steve, what are you learning this morning there? >> well, the most heartbreaking part of the story is of course the families, as you just heard. we talked to several of them just a few minute the ago, one woman whose father was in the mine for many years, was just about to retire, would have reached retirement age in a matter of months and was looking forward to traveling, another woman whose brother was in the mine and still hasn't heard from the mine company, massey energy corporation. a couple of the family members saying they were not notified one way or the other about the fate of their loved ones, and they're still waiting to hear. that could be because of the confusion about which four people might still be alive. there are four people unaccounted for, 25 confirmed dead, but four people unaccounted for, which could mean they're still alive, which could be the reason that the coal company has not notified some of the families definitively. but there is this shred of hope. some o

northern jefferson county in west virginia, and southern berkley county in west virginia. take you to the live radar here, show you where we're talking about on the storms. notice in the upper right-hand corner of your screen here we're zooming in to the panhandle of west virginia. this is the cell that we're watching very, very carefully right in here. right here just up to the north sides of charles town, west virginia, when i put this little circle on here where you can see the red touching the green, that's where red winds are going towards and away touching one another. as a result this is the area right in here, just to the north of charles town, west virginia, where there is a potential radar-indicated tornado on the ground at this point in time. this storm is traveling to the northeast at 40 miles per hour. so i'll put a storm track on it for you here so you can sort of see the towns that are in the line of fire, as you were. as we go up to the northeast, at about 40 miles per hour, we're going to be able to see that this storm is headed up into washington county,

. >>> tragedy in west virginia. a huge jump overnight in the number of miners killed by an underground explosion. >> now, more than two dozen, plunging a community into mourning. >> it's a coal mining community. when you hear that many ambulances, it has to be something bad. >> this morning, the latest on the recovery mission. and looking into a company with a history of problems. >>> good morning. and thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm todd connor, in for jeremy hubbard today. the explosion at a west virginia coal mine has now become the nation's worst such disaster in a quarter-century. >> overnight, massey energy announced that 25 of its miners are dead. and the dangerous mission to rescue four more has stopped. when families were told the news overnight, some became hysterical. >> this is taking place at the upper big branch main. t.j. winick is tracking the overnight developments for us. t.j.? >> reporter: the explosion at the undergrod coal mine happened about 3:00 monday afternoon. miner st

will thomas is in west virginia for us. he has the latest now from west virginia. >> reporter: good morning. we are here on the scene about 0 miles south of charleston at the upper big branch mine. again, just outside of charleston. right now, we have the latest figures on the victims. the west virginia governor says 5 fatalities, four are unacted for and of the 5 dead, only seven have been identified so far. a large build-up of methane inside the mine triggered a huge explosion and this resulted again in 25 fatalities. now, as many as 40 rescuers went inside the mine to try to make rescues and four are unbeinged for. they pulled the rescuers out because of the large build-up of methane and carbon monoxide. the governor told me he does believe there could be a chamber near these four men that would allow them to breathe what they call clean air away from this methane. so that is the hope. they are telling families this is hope but rescuers are not inside right now and hire is further explanation on why they had to be pulled

elkins, west virginia, 45. the dew point, the measure of moisture in the atmosphere, into the mid and high 50s around town. starting to get that hint of humidity in the air. near record heat was again yesterday. becoming a little bit on the humid side going through today. the increasing cloud also lead to showers and thunderstorms by this evening. the heaviest of which should be arriving here in the d.c. metro area after 8:00 or so. your four-day forecast here, this is it. this is the end of a little early hint of summer around here for a while. cooler weather moves back in tomorrow with highs in the 50s. a breezy northwest wind. and then as we head towards saturday and sunday, mrechtity of sunshine. temperatu temperatures still tolerable. >> let's see how the commute is going this thursday morning. inbounds along interstate 66, bright headlights coming at us out of manassas towards fair oaks, towards vienna, no worries, travel lanes are open. overnight road work on the wilson bridge has been wrapped up. they w

that's in west virginia.ually just hours ago they got the all clear that the air inside that mine was safe enough for the rescue mission to begin again. correspondent richard lui joins us this morning with details on the rescue team. they've had to wait days to get down to this area. >> it's been so tough for the families. overnight men on the rescue teams got the order to shave. a mine safety official says rescue officials must get rid of facial hair so the face and mouth masks can fit snugly. >> they're going into areas that may have contaminations of carbon monoxide at levels that are risky which means they have to have their face mask on. as we proceed there will be judgments made about how far they do continue. >> the hope is here, robin, that rescuer also not have to use 30-pound breathing devices, that each one is carrying at the moment, toxic gas levels have also dropped, that's good, but it does include methane, which can be highly explosive. >> i would imagine, too, that this is not exactly like you

colleagues have rounted on monday, april 5, an explosion rocked the upper big branch coal mine in west virginia killing 29 miners and injuring others. this is the worst mine disaster in the united states for almost for decades. for over two centuries, millions of west virginian livelihoods have been in coal deposits. coal has left a mark on the communities throughout west virginia and appalachia. for many of these communities, the mine may be the only way to earn a decent living. these miners are proud of their work and their contribution to the american economy. coal is in their blood, it's in their tradition and it is their career. what we also know that underground mine something one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. every day miners show up for their shift knowing that there's a chance that they may not return to their families and yet they show up every day. at 3:30 p.m. during the shift change, a massive explosion ripped through the upper big branch mine and took the lives of 29 miners and sent others to the hospital. while the cause of this tragedy is still under investigation, to

that was in west virginia in 2006.assey didn't just pay multi million dollar fines there, they were found guilty in a criminal case on that. >> right. >> and yet we are still seeing safety violations related to ventilation, related to some of the same things that killed those miners in west virginia in 2006. if fines don't work, increased regulations don't work, what works? >> it's a good question. this is a political problem. this is about the fact that don blankenship basically is the biggest political power in west virginia. nobody wants to stand up to him. he goes after politicians who do anything that he doesn't like. he spent $3.5 million a few years ago in attack ads against a state supreme court justice who had made a decision in a case that he didn't like. the word on the street in west virginia is you don't mess with don. and there's just -- it's just a really simple kind of intimidation that goes on. and in these mines, you know -- you know, it's not as all above board as we would like to think. these inspec

live in west virginia, i'm sandra endo. andrea, back to you. >> sandra, you said the rescuers started at about 2:30 and an undate at 6:30. so that's four hours. how long do they estimate before they get to the chamber where's, hopefully, the four miners could be? >> reporter: according to the last update from state officials here, they say they have found an alternate route to get to the chambers faster and anticipated that rescue workers, if all goes well, could reach those chambers in an hour and a half. so we are presuming they under there and perhaps have news for us in a half hour or so. so of course we'll bring you the very latest as it becomes available. >> sandra endo reporting from west virginia. >>> a controversial group is also in west virginia saying the miners' deaths are because god hates america. the church is known for protesting the funerals of soldiers. several members arrived in charleston yesterday. a crowd of 300 people held a counterprotest. >>> now back to the weather. those storms that move through o

a bit of news for folks in west virginia. the west virginia basketball coach, they call him huggy, bob huggens visited here, some of the miners families. that according to one of the congressmen was a huge deal for the folks out here. these families, as you can imagine, are waiting. they're furious with massey energy. they feel like the truth hasn't been given to them as fast as they would like. they have yet to hear the words i'm sorry, according to some i've talked to. >> larry: what about the families of the four missing miners? have you been in touch? how are they holding up? >> reporter: i have not been in touch. this has been so challenging covering this story. i was in of where have covering sago four years ago, and it was easy to be in touch with those families because they were holed up in a church behind the row of media. those families are a couple miles away, deep in this mining property. it's almost impossible for us here to talk to the families, but from what i've been told, they have been told to go home, get s

it's in mont coal, west virginia. bob barnard live in the newsroom with the very latest. >> reporter: the death toll is now seven. seven coal miners killed in raleigh county, west virginia. that's about 30 miles south of charleston. it's the scene of a massive rescue effort tonight with 19 coal miners unaccounted for trapped in a mountaintop mine owned by the largest coal mining company in that part of the country. safety officials say the seven miners killed died in an explosion around 3:00 this afternoon while leaving the site in a vehicle. two other men with them were hurt. officials say they don't know yet what caused the blast. >> we really just came to pray because we don't have immediate family in the mines but we know so many people that work here. our pastor works at this mine actually from our church. he wasn't in the mine but he's here. we're just praying and all we can do right now as a community is come together and pray because if you're from here, we're all coal mining family. my dad was a miner. my gra

nbc's brian mooar is in naoma, west virginia.on those ambulances rushing to the scene about a half hour ago? >> reporter: they weren't rushing to the scene and we can't read too much into it other than we saw some ambulances heading in that general direction and on previous mine disasters saw this. they're lining up the pieces and officials are doing everything they can on that mountain to get the rescue workers inside. make no mistake about it. this is a pains taking process. they have to dig the holes first, six-inch diameter holes to try to vent some of this noxious, explosive methane, and then once they have gotten some of that out they had to take some of the ratings to make sure it's safe for rescue workers, 30 have been standing by to be able to go in and begin their search. we're told this was a massive explosion so it's really difficult as they go into this mine, make their way in, to even see their way through as they're sort of feeling their ed. >> brian, also, what are they doing to get new ventilation into the explos

god bless west virginia.nd god bless the united states of america. >> reporter: and, lester, it was clearly a day of mourning and remembrance here in west virginia, but there are ongoing investigations into what caused that explosion at the upper big branch mine. and today we learned that there is still so much deadly methane gas filled in that mine that investigators won't be able to get into it for at least another month to find out exactly what happened. lester? >> mike viqueira in beckley for us tonight, thank you. >>> president obama was taking some time off in north carolina this weekend, and before he left for west virginia, he paid a visit to evangelist billy graham at his home in north carolina. now 91, graham has met ever president since truman. today, president obama became the first to visit graham at his home. from west virginia, the president heads back to washington where he's got a fight on his hands this week ov over financial reform. john harwood joins us tonight from the white house. republ

i love west virginia. i want to stay here. i think that's one of the reasons that people continue to go underground. >> lehrer: do you agree with that, ellen? >> i don't totally agree with that. i think that the majority of the mines in this country work safe every single day. the bottom line is the majority of miners go home safe to their families everyday. and i just don't buy the argument that ... is it risky? yeah, there's a lot of jobs that are risky. farming, the agricultural industry is risky. but we see mines day in and day out with safe operations and guys go home and the women go home to their families every day. >> lehrer: all right. ellen, frank, thank you both very much. >> thank you. >> ifill: still to come on >> ifill: still to come on the newshour, limiting the use of nuclear weapons; big banks versus small banks; and the deadly bomb blasts in iraq. but first, the other news of the day. here's kwame holman in our newsroom. >> holman: the afghan military reported a new offensive killed 27 taliban militants today

so most of the mine rescue teams are down there at this point in west virginia. they have nine teams in the mine at this point. and they go to a certain area, there is a certain protocol that you follow once you get underground. but it is not like you walk in. you, of course, have to be suited up appropriately, go a certain amount, monitor the air quality and proceed from there. what we have found out and this is significant, is that the air quality is actually getting better, which is good because that indicates that there is not still a fire burning underground. >> right. i know that they do have testers to detect methane and oxygen and carbon monoxide and various poisonous gases before they go in. we are told that this was sparked by methane gas. do you know anything more about the explosion itself? >> reporter: i have hearding hed nothing on the cause. >> do you remember at the beginning of the night or yesterday afternoon, we were learning that seven individuals were killed. now that death toll has ris tone 12. but the seven, we were told, they were leaving

john roberts in west virginia.h. >>> stick with us because we'll bring you the latest developments as soon as they happen out of west virginia. we'll figure out what's going to happen in this news briefing that will take place in about 25 minutes and hopefully we'll get answers to how crews can get into one specific area where those four remaining miners might be. >>> desperate times call for desperate measures. that's the story in los angeles this week where the mayor is pushing for a three-day workweek for city employees. that's right. three days. a five-day weekend sounds pretty cool, right? unless you want to go to a library or city park. they'll be closed. >> i am asking the ceao to develop a plan to shut down all general-funded city services with the exception of public safety and revenue-generating positions for two days per week beginning the week of april 12th. >> now, apparently public safety is off limits like police and fire departments and bernard parks is actually a former police chief there in l.a. a

she's live near the mine in naoma, west virginia. we heard the governor also mention possibly a seismic test somewhere around 11:30. what do you know about that test and what are they going to do? >> on the surface of the mine they will set off three shots or three small explosions. it is called a seismic test. the idea is it will send a signal deep into the mine. if those four missing miners are alive, they are trained to tap 10 times so they could hear them back up at the top of the mine. that would be a signal those miners are, in fact, still alive. we should note, they did not do a seismic test. but when they got that first bore hole through at 4:15 in the morning, got down 1,090 feet, better, faster than expected, they did not have any signs of life. officials say, look, there's still a sliver of hope we didn't hear or couldn't hear their banging or whatever it may be. they are hopeful, there's a sliver of hope they could find those four missing miners alive, even though, of course, the governor admits it was a horrific blast th

we are going to head back to john in west virginia right now with the governor of west virginia., john. >> reporter: the west virginia governor, joe manchin joins us right now. tell us a little bit about where we are. >> at five until 5:00, we sent four teams in. they are on man trips right now, will go back as far on the rail as we can possibly go. then, they go by foot and carry all their apparatus. they will be more cautious. you never want your rescuers to get ahead of the danger zone and get caught. that's happened in alabama, we lost so many rescuers. we will make sure that doesn't happen. they will be able to assess the damage more accurately than the first time. they are in full rescue mode. that means we are going to go find the four miners. if for any reason we can't get clear back in that 22 section again, where they had to be pulled out before, that's the only chance we have with that one chamber that hasn't been checked. if someone is there, we know they are safe. if they are not, we know our chances are slim. >> the sign they will be looking for immediately is to se

you're about to see live pictures right now, actually, out of west virginia. this is where a memorial service will be taking place this hour for the 29 people killed in this month's coal mine explosion. the worst u.s. mine disaster in 40 years. president barack obama is delivering the eulogy. he will be momentarily. we will be joining that jeweulo as it happens roughly about 30 minutes from now and bring that to you live. obviously, the president will also be meeting with family members of those miners who were killed in that explosion. >>> the other major story we're following for you, this hour tornado devastation in the south. mississippi's governor calls it utter obliteration in some places including his hometown. alabama was also hit hard and fast. >> talked to my dad on the phone. he said, son, they say it's coming right downtown. just as he said that, it lightened off in the distance and i could see the wall cloud and see the funnel cloud drop down. i said, dad, it's not -- it is coming through downtown. >> here's what's happening right now as a result

way way back in the hills of southern west virginia. so safety is also about state and federal government stepping in. i think toughing of our laws were program, i don't disagree with what you said, senator isakson, but i think there is room for improvement and that we sort of react to the latest mine disaster that is that a good way to do safety legislation? i do think it probably is, but it is a heck of a motivator and that makes us do things that we might not have otherwise done. so we need to grab the spirit of this moment, the sadness of this moment and do our duty. we will learn a lot from this investigation into this tragedy. that investigation will take six, eight, 10 months. i'm not sure legislation can wait for that. i'm quite sure it can. so therein also lies an immediate problem. i don't think it's necessarily going to be a problem, because i think many of our problems in a system are already quite clear that i would just make for four, mr. chairman, and i will be finished for the moment. we know that msh issued a meet with

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

>>> toni >>> tonight we are live to report on the tragedy in west virginia. where there's a race against time to reach four miners who may be still trapped at the end of a 6,000 foot shaft into the mountain. anyou'll hear from miners who made it out and survived the expressie explosi explosion. >>> we drive across the mountains as a community grieves. and you'll meet a woman who lost her husband, two nephews, while her son barely escaped. >> we love him so much. >> brian ross investigates allegations of repeated safety violations by the company managing the mine. and we put tough questions to the chief executive. as tonight, we report on the miners who are in mourning, holding on and questioning what happened to those they love. >>> good evening from west virginia. we are live tonight because just down the road from here is the site of the worst mine disaster in this country in 26 years. and all night long we have been talking to the people in these hills. and thy are reeling from the impact of this tragedy. so far, what we know. 25 are dead. two are hospital

miners in west virginia say they will lose jobs. the epa put out a water quality standard related to mountain top mining. it is a number for the level of toxins in measured water. miners say this will make it nearly impossible for them to do their job and critics say that's the point. >> it's going to be hard for any kind of big economic enterprise to meet the standard which will protect the streams throughout the country, but especially in areas that are affected by mountain top removal mining. >> mountain top mining is estimated to have destroyed land the size of delaware. many experts believe it affects water ways in the country. >>> no one realliments any unscheduled face time with the irs, but if you are concerned about an audit and not sure about how long to keep your documents, here is a brief guide. most of us should keep our tax records for three years. some documents like records to purchase a home or sale, any stock transactions or business transactions should be kept longer. if you have employers working for you, you nee

when we come back, west virginia governor. response yet is what he said for many coal miner survivors to the rescuers beating on the pipes. we'll find out more about their efforts this morning and what's changed now. 55 minutes past the hour. oil or cream? cream. some use hydrogenated oil. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. nothing's more real than reddi-wip. reddi-wip uses real dairy cream. a we don't go lower than $130.ts a room tonight for 65 dollars. big deal, persuade him. okay. $65 for tonight. you can't argue with a big deal. we're so sure priceline has the biggest hotel deals, we're announcing the big deal guarantee. book a hotel with name your own price, and if you can find a lower published price anywhere else, we'll match it and pay you 25 dollars. book now, big deal days won't last long. at priceline. >>> as governor joe manchin said earlier today, it will be a big day here in raleigh county, west virginia. here's the reason why. recapping where we are just to tell you why we are, at 4:00 this morning the drill bit i

>>> we continue to follow that deadly mine explosion in west virginia this morning. it is a quiet and serene scene now. but that is only a cover for the grief and sadness in this small community. >> 25 miners were killed and four still missing after yesterday's explosion in montcoal, west virginia but the rescue effort is on hold as crews work to ventilate toxic gas from the mine. will thomas is in montcoal with the latest now. >> reporter: good morning. the rescue effort continues. there are still four miners unaccounted for inside and trapped. rescuers were pulled out overnight because there is such a strong buildup of carbon monoxide, it is simply too dangerous. so they are digging three giant holes to vent out the area and about 1100 feet below where they believe the miners are at. they're going to try and let some fumes out so send rescuers back inside.

. >>> rescuers plan to set off a small explosion at a coal mine in west virginia to send a signal to any possible survivors of monday's disaster. the rescuers just finished drilling the first of several holes to release any deadly gas. once they vent that, they can try to search underground. >>> president obama heads to the czech republic tonight. he's going to sign a new nuclear weapons treaty with russia. the two countries are agreeing to cut more nuclear arms. the treaty also includes new limits on missiles and bombers. >>> three teens accused of bullying a student who committed suicide have pleaded not guilty to charges in the case. two of them are charged with statutory rape and two accused of civil rights violation and harassment. phoebe prince killed herself in january after months of intense bullying by classmates. >>> we want to welcome you back, good morning. if you're just shaking the sleep out of your eyes, we're glad to have you. >>> so far rescuers are getting no response from the signals they're sending into a coal mine in west virginia. they're searching and hoping th

coming up here this friday, we'll take you to west virginia where crews are back underground searching for the four missing miners after the blast on monday that killed 35 of their co-workers. >>> plus, trouble in paradise. the wife of a reality tv producer has been found murdered in cancun, and he is the main suspect. we'll bring you into the investigation and speak exclusively this morning with a friend of the victim and a former contestant on that very popular show. >>> plus, a woman who finds herself stuck in the middle of a custody battle over adopted embryos. she and her attorney will join us exclusively this morning to share their story. it's all coming up on this friday on "the early show." andrea,a, back to you. >> thank you, maggie. we will be watching. as maggie said, they will start off with the west virginia news, that we just heard in the briefing the governor says rescue teams again had to be pulled back from the mine. we'll have the latest on the "cbs early show." >>> it is 6:43.

front is still sitting back over western portions of west virginia. so we we have a good distance to let that get through overnight tonight. and temperatures will fall. so definitely we have more activity on the way. in fact, looking at the lightning. mainly over virginia where it is strong, as far as even tornado activity down there. and north of us. but lightning for us has been quiet. looking and talking about the warm air pushing out. big changes on the way. coming in from the northwest. and continue to see temperatures drop as we go through the overnight. i will have a look at the temperatures and your weekend outlook coming up in a bit. >> thank you, vytas. >> and you can be in charge of your own personalized forecast. i-radar is available at foxbaltimore.com. use the interactive tools to track storms down to your street. go to foxbaltimore.com/i-radar. >> more concerns over baltimore city's practice of rotating fire company closures. the issue, back on the table tonight. after three people, including a firefighter are seriously hurt in a fire.

. >> and the west virginia mine disaster. new information on the rescue effort. >> live in high definition, from wbff tv in baltimore, this is fox 45 news "late edition". >> well, our streak of dry, blue skies and summer like heat is over. the clouds rolled in early this evening and then the rain came down. some areas were even under a thunderstorm warning for a couple of hours. hello again, i am jennifer gilbert. jeff barnd is off tonight. more on tonight's rain in a bit. first some of the top stories tonight. staff members at baltimore's afro american newspaper are mourning the death of one of their own. paper's 72-year-old security guard was gunned down while ordering food at a chinese carry out early this morning. police say the two suspects fled the scene, with $13. they stole from another customer. at the paper today the victim's co-workers were struggling to make sense of it all. >> life is a cycle. and so you are born and grow old and then eventually you die. but when it is cut short by something that doesn't seem to

it terrell brown is in naoma, west virginia with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: michelle, good morning to you. a decision had to be made soon. time is running out to potentially save the lives of those four missing miners. and in the middle of the night, rescuers decided to go in. rescue teams are back inside the upper big branch mine heading for the safe rooms where the four missing miners could still be alive. >> the plan is for two teams to go underground and to visit both of those refuge chambers. >> reporter: to ensure the air remains safe, nitrogen is being pumped in to neutralize toxic gas. teams are also making plans to begin removing the bodies of the confirmed dead. >> i believe that families are relieved and knowing that this process is starting which the end will be near. >> reporter: early on thursday, explosive levels of gas forced rescue teams to end their search and turn back. they were within 500 feet of a rescue room. >> we committed to the families that we wanted to get into the chambers within 96 hours and we're tryi

in raleigh county, west virginia. i'm will thomas, now back to you. >>> president barack obama is offering his condolences and any help needed in the recovery. he spoke with the governor of west virginia last night and told him the government is ready to offer any assistance needed. >>> the president is announcing sweeping changes in u.s. nuclear weapons policy today. this comes days before he'll sign a new nuclear treaty with russia. doug luzader has more from capitol hill this morning. >> reporter: this is called the nuclear posture review. it's a full rework of how and when we would ever consider using nuclear weapons. the president throwing out the first pitch for the washington nationals. high and outside, but a cake walk compared to what is being planned behind the scenes at white house. it is a revamp of the nuclear policy and the president imposing when the u.s. would consider a nuclear strike. the president tells the nuclear times that is presented a journal. the biggest affront is probably an attack from ano

silence to honor the memories of the 29 miners killed in the west virginia explosion, and in west virginia, the governor led a ceremony to commemorate the minors. the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. >>> james madison university officials want to avoid a situation that occurred over the weekend that resulted in the arrests of more than 30 people. the univerty plans to coer with police and residents to how to mitigate the consequences of these parties in the future. >> the copps handled it well. >> police were called in after fights broke out. >>> the woman who says she had an affair with sandra bullock's husband is offering her apologies. michelle mcgee says she's feel

nbc's norah o'donnell is in naoma, west virginia.ut the search for the miners that they believe to be still alive? >> reporter: well, the governor of this state, governor mansion, tells me the odds are long that those four miners who are still missing will be found alive. still, they are literally trying to move earth in order to try and rescue them. they've got crews up there bulldozing essentially an access road so they can drill 1,100 feet into the earth to essentially allow the relief of some gases that are explosive. they're worried about the methane gas and they're worried about carbon monoxide gas. we had been told earlier this morning that may take 12 hours. now we're being told it will be wednesday night. the process is slow going. you can imagine what it's like for family members knowing one of their loved ones may still be trapped more than 1,000 feet below in that mine. excruciating. the family members, we're told, have pulled together. a lot of them have spent a lot of time up at the mine comforting one another. governor

steve handelsman is in raleigh county, west virginia, with more on this. steve? >> reporter: thanks. they've got to get it right or more people could get hurt here in west virginia. folks, we're getting closer. that's what the mine safety coordinator said here tonight. he is about, he says, about to decide whether to send emergency teams back in. night three, as darkness fell, rescue teams were called to the mine. >> we are looking at probably six teams going underground. two teams advancing, two at the fresh air base and two teams as backup. >> reporter: but the teams drilling shafts into the mine are pulling out air that's marginal. still some methane and carbon monoxide. rescue teams can go only after more testing confirms the atmosphere in the mine won't explode. everyone still hopes the four missing miners made their way to survival chambers. they had good air inside for the weekend. cameras could confirm the miners took refuge, but six teams would be better. >> our preference would be rescue teams to go in and touch those chambers. >> reporter: miner stanle

radar's history over the last hour showing a line of showers and thundershowers coming out of west virginia. moving into virginia. and maryland at this hour. now, the radar is picking up one area of moderate to very heavy rain now. just to the west and north of hagerstown. these are some thunderstorms that are producing lightning and strong gusty winds. may be gust 40 to 50 miles per hour. heading off up into pennsylvania. this one is probably going to miss hagerstown. there is another smaller thundershower here. just to the northeast of winchester. and that's going to be moving on into jefferson county, west virginia. that's crossing into maryland, perhaps scooting through southern washington county. then heading out over into maybe frederick county. wider view of the radar showing another thundershower. far to our south now. this is right now in madison county. that will be moving into rappahannock county and far northern culpeper county. that may move into fauquier county in about another hour or so as well. but no severe storms. don't have any reports of severe weather with these. they

across west virginia and into the ohio valley. that area of low pressure is going to be coming down our way later on today, and before that we may see a little sun this morning. but overall, a cloudy day, some showers by midday and then perhaps some afternoon thunderstorms, some of which may be severe. could produce some hail and damaging winds. that would be from about 3:00 orr 4:00 in the afternoon all the way through perhaps early evening this evening. highs reaching near 70 before then. things should settle down by late this evening and by dawn tomorrow maybe lingering light showers. after that we ought to get sunshine back by tomorrow afternoon with highs in the mid 60s. then the weather does settle down considerably midweek. we veal the shine back on wednesday. should be partly cloudy. morning lows near 40. afternoon highs into the mid 60s. then lots of sunshine for thursday with highs near 70. let's check traffic on this monday morning. jerry, how is it look sng. >> good morning to you. good morning everyone. looking good a

well we thank you, ines there for us from west virginia. thanks very much. >>> and once again, just recapping, 29 people now dead in that explosion in west virginia. and now comes the difficult task for the rescuers now part of the recovery team. they have to carry out all the bodies by hand. we'll continue to follow developments as they investigate what caused the explosion. >>> we'll move on to our other story that we're watching closely. kurdistan is -- how can you get back pain relief that lasts up to 16 hours? with thermacare® heat wraps. that's 8 hours while you wear it, plus an additional 8 hours of relief after you take it off! when i put it on the heat really releases all the muscles and the tension that i have in my lower back. [ spokesperson ] thermacare® delivers heat that penetrates deep, to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. you've got to try it, because once you try it you'll be hooked. [ spokesperson ] go to trythermacare.com for a $3 off coupon, and get up to 16 hours of pain relief... with thermacare®. while i was bu

others missing in west virginia nationwide insurance, let me hear it. i've never had an accident. ? yeah, i'm here with liz. i need a brilliant idea right now. guys ! i just gagged. here it is. deductible. take $50 off. wait. take $100 off for every year she doesn't have an accident... ... and call it vanishing deductible. hook, line, sinker. done. >>> deadly mine explosions, dozens of people are dead after an explosion in west virginia. >> good evening i'm denise koch. >> and vic carter. >>> sirens screamed toward the upper big bend mine. and people feared the worse. >> my brother called and he said if ambulances were going past my house. because it's a coal mining community. and when you hear so many ambulances, there has to be something wrong. >> reporter: dozens of ambulances were heading toward charleston, west virginia. >> it's a rescue operation. they have 96 hours of oxygen in there. so we have time on our side. >> reporter: officials do not know what caused the explosion but say it appeared to have happened when the crews were exiting the mine. the company said in a state

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 aw

david muir, abc news, west virginia. >>> on to other news. rash of deadly post-election violence is raising fears that iraq may be on the verge of returning to a state of civil war. in the latest attack, bombs tore through apartment buildings and a rket in baghdad, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens more. investigators believe the attacks were planned in advance, saying poms were placed inside empty apartments recently rented. >>> things are getting back to normal in indonesia after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake early this morning. it was strong enough to make chandeliers sway and prompted a tsunami warning which was canceled two hours later. parts of the island were plunged into darkness. mostly minor injuries were reported along with minimal damage. >>> meanwhile, in rio de janeiro, brazil, the most rain ever in a single day has triggered massive flooding. and deadly mudslides. steep hillside slums gave way yesterday as 11 inches of rain fell in under 24 hours. the landslides killed at least 95 people and injured 100 others. such a

david kerley live in west virginia. thank you, david. >>> meanwhile, another developing story for you this morning from afghanistan. at least three u.s. troops and one civilian employee have been killed after an air force chopper crashed. it went down in zabul province. the troops were flying in a hybrid aircraft, with the characteristics of a chopper and an airplane. there's no immediate word on what caused the crash. >>> president obama has wrapped up two days of intnational diplomacy this morning. at this hour, he is on his way back to washington, after signing a new arms treaty with russia and hosting a dinner for eastern european allies. yunji de nies joins us this morning with the latest from prague. good morning, yunji. >> reporter: good morning, vinita. president obama left just moments ago. before he did, he had one last meeting with the czech president, where he thanked him for hosting the largest nuclear arms agreement in the last two decades. yet, president oma, along with russian president dmitry medvedev,

jim axelrod is in charleston, west virginia. >> reporter: at a memorial this afternoon, west virginia's governor tried to soothe the spirits broken by the nation's deadliest mining disaster in 40 years. >> when someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. we have 29 treasures. 29 treasures. >> reporter: an army of pastors has been busy at church as much ass and funerals across the state since saturday morning when west virginia's worst fears were confirmed and the last four missing miners were found dead. >> we did not receive the miracle that we prayed for. >> reporter: it turns out rescue workers had walked right past three of the four missing miners' bodies in their very first trip into the mine, right after the explosion a week ago. >> there was so much smoke and the conditions were so dire at that time with dust in the air that they apparently bypassed the three bodies that were on the ground. >> reporter: the u.s. attorney for west virginia today announced his office stands ready, willing, and able to pursue any criminal violations that a federal investigation

host: next up is a trial in west virginia -- kyle in west virginia. caller: thank you very much for see again. i think it is an incredible public service. i'm sorry, i was listening passively when i heard that there was a bill in congress for shareholders to determine the executive pay of their ceos. that is a little crazy. host: why is that crazy? caller: i think that is the government overstepping its bounds, again. in my state, west virginia, we're really worried about this cap and trade and the epa regulation, especially as you know, there was an explosion down there, god bless their souls. west virginia is 49 out of 50 in per-capita income. when we start to put the pressure on these large companies, it does not really affect the people in the upper tiers. it starts to affect my house. west virginia gets 40% of the power of just from kolk for 50% of the population -- from coal for 50% of the population. we're all going to pay. host: we will leave it there. thanks for your call. guest: one point that he missed was the fact that this bill in congres

norah o'donnell is in west virginia.rs ago with the last mine disaster where there was a survivor. let's talk about your work done there. you've been there all night and talked to the governor. what hope do they really have? >> well, the governor told me there are long odds that those four missing miners are still alive and the governor just said that it was such a horrific explosion that some of the rails on the cars that bring the miners out of that shaft, were twisted like pretzels, so clearly, he was very moved by this and has been spending time with the families. 25 dead now in this accident. what he's also describing now is this search that has been suspended. can you imagine being a family member and not knowing where one of your family m