Lightning that traveled down an abandoned pump cable triggered a methane blast that killed 12 West Virginia miners in January 2006, according to a final report issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). One miner died in the blast and 11 others died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Miner Randal McCloy Jr., 27, survived, which many consider a miracle because of the length of time he spent in the poisonous atmosphere. It took rescuers about 40 hours to reach the miners and by then it was too late for everyone except McCloy. While lightning was a major factor in the blast, […]