Body discovered in West Virginia mine

TALLMANSVILLE, West Virginia - One body has been found in the West Virginia mine some 36 hours after an explosion trapped 13 miners, a Red Cross volunteer said.

Tamila Swigler said the body had not been identified and that rescuers had not yet located the remaining 12 miners. Officials had reported poisonous gas in the mine.

Swigler said family members gathered in the church near the mine were "breaking down" after the news was broken to them by rescuers.

Rescue work was continuing in the mine, she said.

There had been no communication with the miners since they were trapped after an explosion at 6.30am local time on Monday (12.30am Tuesday NZT) at the Sago mine in central West Virginia.

- REUTERS