ELEVEN of the 12 coal miners who were initially thought to have survived an explosion in a US coal mine have been found dead - turning joy into heartbreak for relatives.

Families learned of the deaths from mine officials more than three hours after Governor Joe Manchin said he had been told 12 of the West Virginia miners survived the disaster.

The sole survivor of the disaster was in hospital, a doctor said.

International Coal Group Chief Executive Officer Ben Hatfield told the families that only miner Randal McCloy survived the explosion.

Mr Hatfield told the families gathered at the Sago Baptist Church that "there had been a lack of communication, that what we were told was wrong and that only one survived."

At that point, chaos broke out in the church and a fight started.

Mr Hatfield said the incorrect information that the miners were alive spread quickly when people overheard mobile phone calls.

In reality, rescuers had confirmed finding 12 miners and were checking their vital signs, he said.

He said that the incoreect information spread like wildfire, because it had come from the command centre.

Mr Hatfield said the company waited to correct the information until it knew more about the rescue.

Earlier, there were scenes of jubilation as the bells of the church fang out. Relatives shouted: "Theyre alive!"

But neither the company nor the governors office confirmed that the men were alive.

The miners were trapped 260ft below the surface of the mine after the explosion on Monday.

Rescue crews found one body last night, and had said they were holding out hope that the others were still alive.

Mr Hatfield said that the rescue effort was "clearly in the situation where we need a miracles."