The CNN Wire: Sunday Aug 19

Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Time.

Bomb kills southern Iraqi governor

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The governor of Muthana province in southern Iraq was killed by a roadside bomb in the city of Samawa Monday morning, an official with Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

Mohammed Ali al-Hassani was traveling with his bodyguards when the attack took place around 9 a.m. (1 a.m. ET). The governor was a member of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, the longtime Shiite group led by Iraqi politician Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. (Posted 2:55 a.m.)

Dean gains strength as it clears Jamaica

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- After battering the southern coast of Jamaica, Hurricane Dean picked up strength early Monday as it set its sites on the Cayman Islands and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

At 2 a.m. ET, Dean's eye was located about 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Grand Cayman, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. Its top winds of 150 mph (240 kph) made it a strong Category 4 storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 60 miles from its center.

Tropical storm-force winds could be felt as far out as 205 miles, forecasters reported.

Dean was moving westward at nearly 20 mph as it pulled away from Jamaica, forecasters reported. As it moves into the western Caribbean Sea, the storm could become a Category 5 hurricane later in the day -- the top of the scale, with winds in excess of 155 mph.

Dean was expected to pass just south of the Caymans. (Posted 2:30 a.m.)

165 survive as Taiwanese jet burns on Okinawa

TOKYO (CNN) -- A Taiwanese jetliner burst into flames Monday morning shortly after landing at the Naha airport on the Japanese island of Okinawa, but 165 passengers and crew survived the fire, authorities said.

There were no major injuries reported among the passengers. The conditions of the crewmembers were not immediately available.

The Japanese Transport Ministry and the Naha Fire Department said the passengers included 155 adults and two toddlers. The crew was made up of 2 pilots and six flight attendants.

According to the ministry, there was "some sort of explosion" on the left-hand side of the China Airlines Boeing 737. Japanese media reported that a passenger saw a fire in one of the engines before the blast. (Posted 12:45 a.m.)

Taiwanese jet burns on Okinawa; 157 safe, some crew missing

TOKYO (CNN) -- A Taiwanese jetliner burst into flames Monday morning at the Naha airport on the Japanese island of Okinawa, but at least 157 passengers got off the plane safely, authorities said.

According to the Japanese Transport Ministry, there was "some sort of explosion" on board the China Airlines Boeing 737.

Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the airline said at a news conference that it has yet to account for up to eight crew members. The network also reported that two members of the crew were rescued and two others were trapped aboard the plane, citing fire officials.

The Transport Ministry said the plane arrived in Taiwan from Taipei at 10:31 a.m. local time and stopped on the tarmac three minutes later to evacuate passengers. At 10:35 a.m., the Naha Fire Department was called to the scene. (Posted 11:23 p.m.)

Dean pounds Jamaica, passes south of island

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- Hurricane Dean battered the southern coast of Jamaica with heavy rains and surf as its eye passed offshore late Sunday, apparently sparing the Caribbean island the worst of its 145 mph winds.

David Shields, the deputy director of the island's tourism board, described conditions in the capital, Kingston, as "absolutely scary." Ronald Jackson, Jamaica's disaster preparedness director, said at least one house had collapsed, but there were no serious injuries.

At 11 p.m. ET, Dean's eye was located 135 miles (215 km) west-southwest of Kingston, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. Its top winds of 145 mph (232 km/h) made it a strong Category 4 storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 60 miles from its center.

Sustained winds of 80 mph buffeted Kingston, and amateur radio operators reported streets were flooding, the hurricane center said. An unofficial observation from Lionel Town, about 30 miles east of the capital, put top winds at 100 mph. And an aviation weather station at Kingston International Airport clocked winds even higher, at 114 mph.

Dean was moving westward at nearly 20 mph, forecasters reported. As it moves toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, the storm retains the potential to become a Category 5 hurricane -- the top of the scale, with winds in excess of 155 mph. (Posted 11:07 p.m.)

Missing miners' families blast rescue effort

HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) -- Families of the six miners trapped for nearly two weeks in the collapse of a Utah coal mine blasted officials in charge of the rescue effort Sunday, accusing them of having "given up" on the missing men.

In a statement read by a spokesman, the families urged the mine's owner and federal officials to drill a hole into the mine large enough to send down a rescue capsule.

"Precious time is being squandered here, and we do not have time to spare," the spokesman, Sonny Olsen, said on behalf of dozens of relatives who faced cameras Sunday evening.

The families expressed their sorrow for the loss of three rescuers who were killed in a rescue effort Thursday. But they said they still held out hope "that our loved ones are still alive and are waiting to be rescued." (Posted 9:20 p.m.)

Category 4 storm Dean skirts Jamaica

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- Hurricane Dean scoured the southern coast of Jamaica on Sunday evening, pounding the island with high winds and surf even as the eye of the Category 4 storm remained well offshore.

"The winds are extremely, extremely strong," said Ronald Jackson, Jamaica's disaster preparedness director. "We're getting heavy outbreaks of showers and winds associated with the hurricane-force, 145-mile-an-hour winds extending over from the eye wall across sections of Kingston."

At 8 p.m. ET, Dean's eye was located 70 miles (115 km) south-southwest of Kingston, the island nation's capital. Its top winds remained 145 mph (232 km/h).

Sustained winds of 80 mph buffeted Kingston, and amateur radio operators reporting streets were flooding, the hurricane center said. Dean was moving westward at nearly 20 mph and retained the potential to become a Category 5 hurricane -- the top of the scale, with winds in excess of 155 mph. (Posted 8:10 p.m.)

Helicopters pluck flood victims to safety in central Oklahoma

(CNN) -- Remnants of Tropical Storm Erin turned central Oklahoma into a wash basin Sunday, with helicopter-borne rescuers plucking people from flood waters and rooftops and ferrying them to dry land and safety.

Two people died and at least two others were hurt, said Michelann Ooten, a spokesman for the state's emergency operations center in Oklahoma City.

A middle-aged man who had stopped to help another person wound up drowning in his vehicle near Kingfisher, and an elderly woman in Fort Cobb who had sought protection in her storm cellar was found to have drowned there, Ooten said. The injuries occurred when either straight-line winds or a tornado destroyed a house in Watonga, she said. (Posted: 7:22 p.m.)

Reporter disputes Rove's account of CIA leak

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- White House political adviser Karl Rove denied Sunday he confirmed the identity of ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson for a 2003 newspaper column, but a reporter who testified in the leak probe called that "nonsense."

In comments to two Sunday talk shows, Rove disputed columnist and former CNN host Robert Novak's account of the leak. Novak, who disclosed Mrs. Wilson's identity in a July 2003 column, has said Rove confirmed her identity after another Bush administration official, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, first told him she worked for the CIA.

Rove told NBC's "Meet the Press" that, when Novak asked him about Mrs. Wilson, he told the columnist, "I've heard that, too." But he insisted that did not mean he had confirmed her identity. "If a journalist had said to me, 'I'd like you to confirm this,' my answer would have been, 'I can't. I don't know. I've heard that, too,' " he said. (Posted: 7:21 p.m.)

Carbon monoxide leak near Virginia Tech sends 17 to hospitals

BLACKSBURG, Va. (CNN) -- A carbon monoxide leak in an apartment building near Virginia Polytechnic Institute sent 17 people to the hospital Sunday as the school scarred by an April massacre prepared to start a new semester, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Montgomery Regional Hospital spokesman Suzanne Barnette said two of the patients were transferred to the University of Virginia Hospital and three to Duke University Medical Center. The 12 remaining at Montgomery were in stable condition, she said.

The leak was reported in the Collegiate Suites apartments around noon, the same time that a dedication ceremony was being held to honor 32 students and faculty shot dead last April by a student who then killed himself, said Mark Owczarski, director of university relations. (Posted: 7:07 p.m.)

Dean 'scraping' southern coast of Jamaica

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- Hurricane Dean skirted the southern coast of Jamaica on Sunday, pounding the island with high winds and surf even as the eye of the Category 4 storm remained well offshore.

"The winds are extremely, extremely strong," said Ronald Jackson, Jamaica's disaster preparedness director. "We're getting heavy outbreaks of showers and winds associated with the hurricane-force, 145-mile-an-hour winds extending over from the eye wall across sections of Kingston."

The island's electrical grid was powered down Sunday as Dean began pounding the eastern end of the island. But fewer than 3,000 residents had gone to shelters, Jackson said, and many tourists remained despite earlier warnings that they fly home.

At 5 p.m. ET, Dean's eye was located 50 miles (80 km) south of Kingston, the island nation's capital. Its top winds remained 145 mph (232 km/h), and hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles from the eye, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. (Posted: 5:45 p.m.)

More remains found Sunday from bridge collapse

(CNN) -- More human remains were recovered Sunday from the site in the Mississippi River where a bridge collapsed this month, bringing the confirmed death toll to 12, authorities said.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, which is leading recovery efforts, said water recovery teams recovered human remains and a vehicle at the site of the I-35W bridge collapse at 8:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. ET).

The Medical Examiner identified the remains as Scott Sathers, 30, from Blaine, Minn. (Posted: 5:28 p.m.)

Rescue leader: It's 'likely' miners 'may not be found'

HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) -- After a fourth hole drilled into part of a Utah mine yielded no signals from six trapped miners and found insufficient oxygen levels, a leader in the rescue effort said Sunday the vestiges of hope are waning.

"It's likely that these miners may not be found," Rob Moore, vice president of mine operator Murray Energy, told reporters.

The six were trapped in a collapse in the early hours of Aug. 6 -- nearly two weeks ago.

But rescuers are not giving up. They are working on a fifth hole.

"We are attempting to locate these miners," Moore said.

Since three rescuers were killed Thursday, and several others were injured in a seismic "mountain bump," underground efforts to tunnel through to find the miners were halted. (Posted 3:35 p.m.)

6th suspect arrested in Newark schoolyard shootings

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A sixth suspect has been arrrested in the fatal schoolyard shootings early this month of three college students in Newark, N.J., Det. Todd McClendon of the Newark Police Department told CNN Sunday.

The bodies of Terrance Aeriel, 18; Dashon Harvey, 20, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, were found Aug. 4 shot execution-style.

Aeriel's sister, Natasha, was shot in the head but survived and has helped police in the investigation.

Three other suspects and two juveniles were already in custody, all of them charged with three counts of murder and other counts. (Posted 3:20 p.m.)

French FM: France must 'face reality' and deal with Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Steadfastly opposed to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq four years ago, France's new government is "turning the page" and is ready to participate in an "escape plan" from the current crisis there, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday during a historic visit to the Iraqi capital.

"I don't want to redraw the map, to rewrite the story of the American position," Kouchner said. "We were against, even those who were strongly against (Saddam Hussein's dictatorship) were against the way it has been done. So now we have to face reality, including of course, the American views. But mainly turn to the Iraqis' position.

"This is an Iraqi problem, it must be solved by Iraqis, and according to my understanding ... there is no military solution."

Kouchner addressed reporters alongside his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, who heaped praise on the French official for his position as "an early proponent of humanitarian intervention" in Iraq.

"He has been a friend to the Iraqi people even when they had very few friends," Zebari said of Kouchner, who co-founded the international relief group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in 1971.

Zebari said Kouchner's "historical visit" is the first by a French foreign minister in more than 20 years. He called it "a notable milestone" in Iraqi-French relations. (Posted 3:06 p.m.)

Jamaica braces as Cat 4 storm Dean moves westward

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- Jamaica's electrical grid was powered down Sunday as the first winds from Hurricane Dean began pounding the eastern end of the island.

Only a few hundred residents had moved into shelters and many tourists remained, despite earlier warnings that they fly home.

The first hurricane-force winds were predicted to reach the eastern end of Jamaica by mid-afternoon.

While the storm was not expected to hit the United States, Texas officials were preparing for any unexpected turn northward and oil-rig workers off the Texas coast were heading for shore.

The massive storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, was located about 80 miles east-southeast of the Jamaican capital, Kingston, and "the center of Dean will be very near the island of Jamaica by early this afternoon," the National Hurricane Center's 2 p.m. advisory said.

Hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles from the center; tropical storm-force winds extended up to 205 miles, the advisory said. It was moving west-northwest at 18 mph and was expected to continue moving in the same direction over the next 24 hours.

Although Haiti was spared the brunt of Dean's force, at least two people were killed and 10 were injured, according to Haiti's civili protection bureau. Six homes were destroyed and 200 homes damaged, officials said.

But Dean stayed far enough to the south to spare Haiti from major mudslides or floods. (Posted, 2:22 p.m.)

Clinton, Obama fend off criticisms in debate

(CNN) -- At a debate Sunday in the critical showdown state of Iowa, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama worked to counter suggestions that he is too inexperienced for the job, while Sen. Hillary Clinton fended off attacks from outgoing White House political adviser Karl Rove that voters perceive her too negatively.

"Is Barack Obama ready to be president, experienced enough to be president?" moderator George Stephanopoulos asked, presenting the first question of the debate hosted by ABC's "This Week" in Des Moines, Iowa -- the first state in the nation to choose party nominees.

Clinton was asked about criticisms from outgoing White House political adviser Karl Rove that her negative ratings could hurt her in a general election.

The eight Democrats generally avoided outright attacks on each other, though they took the opportunity to note disagreements, particularly on issues of foreign policy. (Posted 1:40 p.m.)

NYC authorities hunt for cause of building blaze that killed 2 firefighters

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Preliminary tests for asbestos and fine particular matter in the air of Lower Manhattan proved negative Sunday, a day after two firefighters were killed during a seven-alarm fire at the abandoned Deutsche Bank Building, authorities said.

None of 12 stations around Ground Zero that were sampling air during and after the fire had detected any harmful material, Avi Schick, president and COO of Empire State Development told CNN.

New York City authorities worked through the night to discover what sparked the blaze, a statement from the governor's office said.

The fire department identified the dead as Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Ladder Company 5, and Robert Beddia, 53, of Engine Company 24. Graffagnino was an eight-year FDNY veteran, and Beddia was a 23-year veteran.

They died after becoming "trapped in maze-like conditions on the 14th floor of the building," an FDNY statement said. (Posted 1:03 p.m.)

Pakistani military battles al Qaeda, Taliban militants in tribal areas; 16 dead

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's military Sunday stepped up its campaign to crush al Qaeda and Taliban militants in tribal regions, killing 16 and arresting several others near the Afghan border, intelligence sources said.

Sunday's raid took place in North Waziristan, a hotbed of militant activity where four Pakistani soldiers were killed in separate checkpoint attacks a day earlier.

Meanwhile in South Waziristan, tribal leaders are still trying to negotiate the release of 16 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers who were abducted on August 9 by local militants.

During Sunday's raid, Pakistani military helicopters pounded two militant hideouts near the town of Mir Ali, and clashes continued for several hours.

Recent U.S. and international intelligence assessments say al Qaeda has regrouped and is operating freely in Pakistan's tribal regions -- thanks to a recently scratched agreement between Pakistan's government and tribal leaders in North Waziristan. -- From CNN's Syed Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore (Posted, 12:32 p.m.)

Clinton: Rove 'obsessed with me' because 'we know how to win'

(CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton on Sunday cast a barrage of attacks from outgoing White House political adviser Karl Rove as a sign of the strength of her presidential campaign.

"I don't think Karl Rove's going to endorse me," Clinton joked during a Democratic debate in the critical state of Iowa, where caucus-goers will be first to choose a Democratic nominee.

"That becomes more and more obvious. But I find it interesting he's so obsessed with me. And I think the reason is because we know how to win. I mean, you know, I have been fighting against these people for longer than anybody else up here. I've taken them on and we've beaten them," the Democratic front-runner from New York said during the debate hosted by ABC's "This Week."

Rove -- who announced last week he will leave his post at the end of the month -- told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that Clinton "enters the general election campaign with the highest negatives of any candidate in the history of the Gallup Poll." (Posted 12:04 p.m.)

Haiti spared, Jamaica braced as Cat 4 storm Dean moves westward

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- Jamaica's electrical grid was powered down Sunday morning as the first winds from Hurricane Dean began pounding the eastern end of the island.

Only a few hundred residents have moved into shelters and many tourists ignored earlier warnings to fly home.

The massive storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, was about 130 miles east-southeast of the Jamaican capital, Kingston, and "the center of Dean will be very near the island of Jamaica by early this afternoon," the advisory said.

Hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles from the center; tropical storm-force winds extend up to 205 miles, the advisory said. It was moving west-northwest at 18 mph and was expected to continue moving in the same direction over the next 24 hours.

Haiti was spared the brunt of Dean's force with no major flooding or mudslides and only a few homes damaged by winds as the storm's eye stayed well south of Hispaniola -- the island that includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (Posted 11:42 a.m.)

French FM in Baghdad on unannounced visit

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner landed in Baghdad Sunday for an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital, France's foreign ministry told CNN.

It is the first visit by a high-level French official since the country opposed the Iraq war in 2003 under then-President Jacques Chirac.

Kouchner, who took office in May, is a medical doctor and co-founded the international relief group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in 1971.

Kouchner's visit was timed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the attack on the United Nations compound in Baghdad that killed the top U.N. envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello -- a Brazilian national -- and 20 other staff members, the statement said.

Kouchner was friends with de Mello, as well as three other UN staff members killed in the August 19, 2003 bombing. They worked together in Kosovo where Kouchner served as a special envoy for then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan from 1999-2001. (Posted 11:26 a.m.)

Dean, still a Cat 4 hurricane, nears Jamaica

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CNN) -- Hurricane Dean, still a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, is 130 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. ET advisory.

The hurricane's center will be very near the island of Jamaica by early Sunday afternoon, the advisory said. (Posted 11:09 a.m.)

Israel rejects illegal African immigrants from Egypt, reportedly escaping Darfur genocide

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel on Sunday rejected 50 Africans -- most of them reportedly from Sudan's Darfur region -- who had illegally entered the country from Egypt, a government official said.

They had entered and were returned through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the official said.

The move angered many Israeli lawmakers and human rights advocates because of reports that some Sudanese refugees are being killed, and others mistreated, by authorities in Egypt.

The nationalities of the 50 sent back Sunday were not released, but Israel's Haaretz newspaper, citing figures from the Israeli military, said nearly all had escaped the genocide in Darfur.

Dozens of Israeli lawmakers recently signed a petition urging the government not to deport Sudanese refugees. (Posted 10:36 a.m.)

Hurricane Dean moves closer to Jamaica

MIAMI (CNN) -- In an advisory update issued at 8 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Dean, whose eye is surrounded by two eyewalls, was about 180 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and is expected to "be very near Jamaica later today."

"On this track the core of the hurricane will pass just south of the southwestern peninsula of Haiti during the next few hours and will be near Jamaica later today," NHC said. (Posted 9:08 a.m.)

Dean churning in Carribean on collision course with Jamaica

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNN) -- Inching closer to Jamaica, Hurricane Dean brushed the southern coasts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with high winds early Sunday as it roared through the western Caribbean.

At 5 a.m., the Category 4 storm, described by forecasters as "extremely dangerous," had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. It is forecast to reach Category 5 intensity, with winds in excess of 155 mph, before bearing down on Jamaica.

Hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles from the center; tropical-force winds extend up to 205 miles.

The massive storm, whose eye is surrounded by two eyewalls, was about 245 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 155 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was moving west-northwest at 18 mph and was expected to continue moving west or northwest over the next day.

"On this track the core of the hurricane will pass just south of the southwestern peninsula of Haiti during the next few hours and will be near Jamaica later today," the National Hurricane Center said. (Posted 6:18 a.m.)

Nearly a dozen dead in mortar attack on Baghdad residential area

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Five mortars pounded into a residential area in a Shiite-dominated district east of Baghdad Sunday, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding 31 others, an official with Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

Women and children were listed among the dead and wounded, the official told CNN.

The violence occurred in Obeidi, a Mehdi Army stronghold located near Baghdad's Sadr City.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said coalition troops in central and northern Iraq killed three insurgents and seized 21 others in raids on Sunday targeting senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq and the group's bombing networks.

The raids were staged in Tarmiya, Salaheddin province and near Muqdadiya, a town about 25 miles (40 km) north of Baquba, the military said. (Posted 5:13 a.m.)

NATO soldier killed while escorting convoy in southern Afghanistan

(CNN) -- A NATO soldier escorting a convoy in southern Afghanistan was killed on Sunday, a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.

The statement did not specify the exact location where the soldier was killed or how the death occurred. In addition, ISAF withheld the announcement of the soldier's nationality pending notification of next of kin.

"Our thoughts and condolences go out to the friends and family of the soldier who has been killed today," said ISAF spokeswoman Lt. Col. Bridget Rose. (Posted 3:16 a.m.)

NYC authorities hunt for cause of building blaze that killed 2 firefighters

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York City authorities worked through the night Saturday in efforts to discover what sparked a seven-alarm fire at Deutsche Bank building just south of Ground Zero that killed two firefighters earlier in the day, a statement from the governor's office said.

"The fire's cause is yet unknown," New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said. "My office has directed all relevant state agencies to work with the city to determine the cause and to take all necessary precautions."

Earlier, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) said two firefighters died battling the blaze. They were Joseph Graffagnino (prono: graff-uh-NEEN-oh), 33, of Ladder Company 5, and Robert Beddia, 53, of Engine Company 24. Graffagnino was an eight-year FDNY veteran, and Beddia was a 23-year veteran, the department said.

They died after becoming "trapped in maze-like conditions on the 14th floor of the building," an FDNY statement said. (Posted 2:10 a.m.)

2 NYC firefighters killed while battling 7-alarm blaze

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Two firefighters were killed Saturday while battling a blaze at the Deutsche Bank building just south of Ground Zero, according to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).

Joseph Graffagnino, 33, of Ladder Company 5, and Robert Beddia, 53, of Engine Company 24, "became trapped in maze-like conditions on the 14th floor of the building," said an FDNY statement. "They suffered severe smoke inhalation and were taken to NY Downtown Hospital in cardiac arrest, where they succumbed to their injuries."

Doctors said the amount of carbon monoxide in the firefighters' lungs was sufficient to cause cardiac arrest, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters. The mayor called the fire "another cruel blow" to the city. Both firefighters' units also lost firefighters in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

"I'd like to remind everyone, these are the men and women who rush into danger when we run away," Bloomberg said. "They make the ultimate sacrifice." (Posted 11:34 p.m.)

Fourth bore hole yields no signal from trapped miners

HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) -- A fourth hole drilled into part of a Utah mine, where six miners have been trapped underground since a mine collapse 12 days ago, yielded no signals from the men, but officials Saturday said they refuse to give up, announcing plans to drill a fifth hole.

Meanwhile, a team of experts was being assembled to determine whether tunneling efforts can continue in the mine after a seismic "mountain bump" Thursday resulted in the deaths of three rescue workers.

The bore hole pierced the mine, at a depth of about 1,400 feet, at about 9:15 a.m. Saturday, said Richard Stickler, director of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. Crews attempted to signal to the miners by making noise with the drill and by setting off three rounds of explosive charges, then maintained a "quiet period" in order to listen, he said. "We did not detect any signals from the miners underground," he said.

But officials from Murray Energy, which operates the mine, said they are not ready to give up. "Make no mistake about it, this continues to be a rescue effort," said Rob Moore, the company's vice president. "I want to make that clear ... We have encountered setbacks. We have incurred losses. But we have not, and we will not, give up hope." (Posted 11:27 p.m.) E-mail to a friend