Gun control supporters in the US Senate have won the first showdown over how to respond to the December school shootings in Connecticut, defeating an effort by conservatives to derail firearms restrictions before debate could even start.

The US Senate is ready to launch an emotion-charged debate on new gun restrictions, four months after the carnage at a Connecticut elementary school spurred President Barack Obama and Congress to address firearms violence.

FAMILY members believe the officials likely knew of the miners’ fates some time before then - maybe as soon as 20 minutes after the celebration began.

Thirteen coal miners in West Virginia remained trapped 260 feet below ground today, after an explosion that may have been triggered by lightning.