UPSHUR, the United States, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The U.S. government said Wednesday that a full investigation will be launched into the latest coal mine disaster in West Virginia that killed 12 people.

    Calling the accident as a "tragic loss, " White House press secretary Scott McClellan said mine safety has always been a priority for the Bush administration.

    He noted that "this administration proposed a fourfold increase in fines and penalties for violations of the Mine Safety and Health Administration rules.

    "U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is launching a full investigation to "determine the cause of this tragedy and will take the necessary steps to ensure that this never happens again."

    Acting Assistant Labor Secretary David Dye, who also heads the MSHA, promised that the investigation will evaluate all aspects of the accident and response, including compliance with all federal health and safety standards, and how emergency information was relayed about the trapped miners' conditions.

    Two days after an explosion took place in Sago Mine in Upshur County, West Virginia, Ben Hatfield, president and CEO of the International Coal Group which owns the mine, announced early Wednesday that only one of the 13 trapped miners survived.

    The explosion is West Virginia's deadliest mining accident since November 1968, when 78 men died in a mine explosion.

    It is also the worst nationwide since a pair of mine explosions in Alaska killed 13 in 2001. Enditem