SPECIAL REPORT | FULL COVERAGE

Palmer: 'A lot of recuperation to be done'

Brian Palmer

SOMERSET, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- After 77 hours deep underground, the nine miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek coal mine recovered from their ordeal Sunday and spent time with their families.

CNN Correspondent Brian Palmer filed this report from Somerset.

PALMER: The last miner was pulled out about seven hours ago, dirty, wet, hungry, dehydrated, but with no serious injuries. Three of the miners were taken to a local hospital. The other six were taken to a trauma center just a few miles farther away, just to put them under observation for things like chest pains, and aches and pains, and also mild hypothermia.

Now, among their first requests, some rather basic things that they wanted, such as food.

Now, the rescue obviously is over, but there's a lot of recuperation to be done and reconnecting with families.

And according to the Department of Environmental Protection, activity at the mine will not end with this rescue.

They're going to continue to drain the water out. They're trying to reduce any future hazards that could remain at that site.

They're also going to try and pull equipment out if they can, and then they're going to have to seal those shafts that they've drilled, again, to prevent any further hazards.

After that, investigators will try to find out why this accident occurred in the first place