as a byproduct of the recovery operation after the 1968 explosion. Chronology At 5:30 a.m on November 20, 1968, an explosion shook the mine. It was so strong that a motel clerk reported feeling vibrations away. Miners living in the area heard the noise and, knowing what it meant, headed to the mine, where they discovered a rapidly spreading fire with flames shooting into the air. Within hours, 21 miners made it to the surface but 78 were still trapped underground. The fires continued to burn for over a week, and on November 29, rescuers finally admitted defeat after air samples from drill holes showed air unable to sustain human life. The mine was sealed on November 30 with concrete to starve the fire of oxygen. In September 1969, the mine was unsealed in an attempt to recover the miners' bodies. Progress was slow because workers discovered cave-ins that they had to tunnel around. This recovery effort continued for almost ten years. By April 1978, 59 of the 78 bodies had been recovered. Victims The 1968 explosion killed 79 miners.Those marked with an asterisk ( * ) indicates their body was unrecovered. Arthur A. Anderson Jr. Jack O. Armstrong* Thomas D. Ashcraft Jimmy Barr Orval D. Beam* John Joseph Bingamon* Thomas Boggess Louis S. Boros* Harold W. Butt Lee E. Carpenter David V. Cartwright William E. Currence* Dale E. Davis Albert R. DeBerry George O. Decker Howard A. Deel* James E. Efaw Joe Ferris Virgil "Pete" Forte* H. Wade Foster* Aulda G. Freeman Jr.* Robert L. Glover Forrest B. Goff John F. Gouzd Charles F. Hardman Ebert E. Hartzell Simon P. Hayes Paul F. Henderson* Roy F Henderson Sr. Steve Horvath Junior M. Jenkins* James Jones Pete J. Kaznoski Sr.* Robert D. Kerns Charles E. King James Ray Kniceley George R. Kovar David Mainella Sr. Walter R. Martin Frank Matish* Hartsel L. Mayle Dennis N. McDonald Emilio D. Megna* Jack D. Michael* Wayne R. Minor Charles E. Moody Paul O. Moran Adron W. Morris Joseph Muto Randall R. Parsons Raymond R. Parsons Nicholas Petro Fred Burt Rogers William D. Sheme Robert J. Sigley Henry J. Skarzinski Russell D. Snyder John Sopuch* Jerry L. Stoneking Harry L. Strait Albert Takacs William L. Takacs* Dewey Tarley Frank Tate Jr. Goy A. Taylor Hoy B. Taylor Edwin A. Tennant* Homer E. Tichenor Dennis L. Toler John W. Toothman Gorman H. Trimble Roscoe M.