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Family and friends of Jerry Lee Groves, 56, bow their heads and join hands in prayer during his funeral Sunday.

Mining disaster survivor continues to improve

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Doctors hope to bring the critically injured sole survivor of a West Virginia coal mine explosion out of his medically-induced coma on Sunday, his attending physician said.

Randal McCloy Jr. has been under sedation since last week’s underground blast to allow his brain time to heal, and easing the coma will allow physicians to perform a neurological exam.

Dr. Larry Roberts, the head of McCloy’s treatment team at West Virginia University Hospital, told reporters that McCloy has shown some signs of improvement, but that his condition remains critical.

McCloy, of Simpson, W.Va., was rescued early Wednesday after being trapped in the Sago Mine near Tallmansville, in north-central West Virginia, for about 42 hours. Twelve other men inside the mine with him died.

At the mine, 12 big, black bows were tied around the entrance’s fence, and residents spent the day shuttling between the miners’ wakes.