Naoma , West Virginia ( CNN ) -- West Virginia 's governor on Tuesday named a former head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration to lead a state investigation into last week 's coal mine explosion that left 29 miners dead . Davitt McAteer has overseen investigations into two previous mine accidents , the Sago disaster that killed 12 miners in 2006 and the fire at the Aracoma Alma No . 2 mine that left two workers dead . The West Virginia native served as the Clinton administration 's assistant labor secretary for mine safety in the 1990s and is vice president of Wheeling Jesuit University . `` Davitt has the experience and knowledge to lead what will be a complex and extensive investigation into this horrible accident , '' Gov . Joe Manchin said in announcing McAteer 's appointment . `` We made tremendous progress in 2006 immediately following the Sago and Aracoma accidents , and I fully expect that we will learn even more from this and make dramatic changes to protect our miners . '' The last bodies were recovered early Tuesday from the Upper Big Branch mine , the scene of the fatal explosion April 5 . McAteer was critical of the mine 's owner , Virginia-based Massey Energy , in the days after the blast . `` Some companies , and this appears to be one , take the approach that these violations are simply a cost of doing business -- it 's cheaper for us to mine in an unsafe way or in a way that risks people 's lives than it is for us to comply with the statutes , comply with the laws , '' McAteer said last week . There was no immediate response from Massey Energy to McAteer 's appointment , but Massey CEO Don Blankenship said last week that its safety history is among the best in the industry . The Montcoal , West Virginia , mine received 458 citations from federal inspectors in 2009 , and more than 50 of those were for problems that the operators knew about but had not corrected , according to federal mine safety records . Inspectors cited the operators more than 100 times in the first quarter of 2010 , including six times for `` unwarrantable failure '' to correct violations . Massey subsidiary Aracoma Coal pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges and paid a record $ 4.2 million in fines and civil penalties in connection with the January 2006 fire that McAteer investigated . Manchin said the state owes an explanation for last week 's disaster to the families of the men who died in the Upper Big Branch mine , `` And we owe it to them and every coal miner working today to do everything humanly possible to prevent this from happening again . '' Managers of two pension funds have called on Massey 's board to oust Blankenship , who has been critical of mining regulations in the past . `` Massey 's cavalier attitude toward risk and callous disregard for the safety of its employees has exacted a horrible cost on dozens of hard-working miners and their loved ones , '' New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a written statement Monday . He said Blankenship `` must step down and make room for more responsible leadership at Massey . '' New York 's state pension fund , which DiNapoli manages , has about $ 14 million worth of Massey stock -- a tiny fraction of the company 's estimated $ 4.3 billion market capitalization . But his call was echoed by the CtW Investment Group , which manages pension funds for about 6 million union workers . CtW blamed Blankenship 's `` confrontational approach to regulatory compliance '' and the failure of the company 's board of directors to challenge him for the disaster . `` Under Chairman and CEO Blankenship 's domineering leadership , Massey Energy placed short-term production and profit goals ahead of prudent risk management , with devastating consequences for the corporation , its shareholders and employees , '' the fund wrote in a letter to the board . `` In light of these consequences , the urgent need for new leadership is apparent . '' The company has not commented on calls for Blankeship 's ouster , but said safety `` has been and will continue to be our top priority every day . '' `` We do not condone any violation of Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations , and we strive to be in compliance with all regulations at all times , '' it said in a written statement last week . Bodies of the remaining victims were removed overnight , said Jama Jarrett , spokeswoman for the West Virginia Office of Miners ' Health , Safety and Training . The bodies of seven victims had been recovered shortly after the explosion , and 13 bodies were removed Sunday . Until Sunday , U.S. flags on all federal buildings in the state will be kept at half-staff per a proclamation that President Obama signed on Monday . The mining disaster was the worst in the United States since 1972 , when 91 miners died in a fire at the Sunshine Mine in Kellogg , Idaho . CNN 's Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report .
29 miners were killed in an explosion last week . Davitt McAteer named by West Virginia governor to lead investigation . Comment: