Mine Company Compounds The Tragedy

12 of the 13 trapped miners in the collapsed West Virginia coal mine have perished.  And you might think it would be impossible to find a way to make that tragedy any worse.

But executives with International Coal Group managed to find a way.

Here's CNN's report on it:

 Grief and anger replaced jubilation early Wednesday as mine officials announced that, despite earlier reports, only one of 13 trapped miners had survived a West Virginia mining accident.

Late Tuesday, celebrations erupted as word spread among family members that 12 miners had been found alive at the Sago Mine.

Hours later, Ben Hatfield, president and CEO of the mine company, told miners' loved ones that a "miscommunication" had resulted in an error: all but one of the missing miners was dead.

Anna Casto, whose cousin was among those found dead, angrily disagreed with Hatfield's use of the term "miscommunication."

The CNN piece is worth reading in its entirety.  It is among the saddest things I have ever read.

If you have ever been in a situation where you had loved ones, whose well being was in question, you realize that one minute is agony, much less days and hours. 

I realize this company was under incredible stress, but this sure seems like the kind of thing that you would want to get right.

Not even a combined PR and grassroots effort by Michael Scanlon and Ralph Reed could help ICG's reputation at the moment.