CHARLESTON, WV—News that a fiery bus crash on Interstate 79 had killed 32 passengers was greeted with cheers and sighs of relief Friday, as West Virginia's 1.8 million residents gave thanks that their fellow citizens had perished in a catastrophe not involving a mine-shaft collapse, a mine explosion, or any other subterranean disaster. "This truly is a bright new beginning for our state," Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said at a ceremony honoring the state's largest non-mining-related loss of life in a generation. "Today, we can all be proud to call ourselves West Virginians." A coroner's report later confirmed that 29 of the dead were miners returning home from work.

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