Joy gave way to grief and anger yesterday when a West Virginia coal town learned that 12 of 13 miners trapped in a mine explosion had died, three hours after friends and family were mistakenly told that all but one had survived.
One man survived after being trapped since Monday's blast at the Sago mine in central West Virginia and was hospitalised in critical condition. Randal McCloy, 27, was being treated for a kidney dysfunction but was described by doctors as conscious and relatively stable.
The way the tragic news of the deaths of the dozen miners was conveyed angered many family members who had stood vigil at a nearby church.
"I feel that we were lied to all along," said Anne Meredith, whose father died in the incident, adding that she planned to sue the mine owner, International Coal Group Inc.
News of the 12 deaths came hours after church bells pealed and friends and family of the miners celebrated and sang hymns when word spread that 12 miners had survived. West Virginia's governor said there were indications within 20 minutes the initial report of 12 survivors was wrong. Friends and family were not told for about three hours.
"It hit people's hearts so hard...," John Casto, a friend of the miners, said on CNN.
Virginia Dean, whose uncle was in the mine, said: "Only one lived. They lied."
Ben Hatfield, president of ICG, blamed the earlier report on a miscommunication. He said that the company had then waited until it could determine which of the miners were dead or alive to tell the families. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said the US Mine Safety and Health Administration had confirmed to his office that the miners had been saved.
US President George W. Bush offered his condolences and thanked rescue workers and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin for their efforts, but he made no mention of the miscommunication.
"Today, our nation mourns those who lost their lives in the mining accident in West Virginia," he told reporters at the Pentagon.
Several newspapers splashed headlines such as "Miracle in the Mine" on their front pages, which went to press before the truth emerged. "Alive! Miners beat odds" was USA Today's headline with a picture of two smiling family members.
Rescue workers on Tuesday night had located the 12, trapped about 4,000 metres inside the mine since 6.30 a.m. (1130 GMT) on Monday.
Dr Lawrence Roberts at West Virginia University Hospital told a news conference Mr McCloy's collapsed lung had re-expanded and that he had communicated with his wife through facial expressions and squeezing hands.
"I think youth always helps," he said, commenting on possible reasons why Mr McCloy alone survived.
Mr McCloy's sister Lila Muncy said her brother, a father of two, had worked for about three years in the mine. "He was always very cautious," she told CNN. "Every morning he would tell his wife, 'God bless you', before he left to work because he always knew the danger."