Nearly a year before Sago Mine explosion left 12 miners dead, now the state investigators have concluded that this was caused by a lightning bolt that ignited methane gas underground.
The mine’s owner, International Coal Group Inc. has argued since March that lightning was to blame for the Jan. 2 blast, a theory critics of the company have disputed.
The report is to be released on monday, but United Mine Workers officials who helped in the investigation have been briefed on it, Dennis O’Dell the union’s health and safety director, said.