PITTSBURGH — Eight miners trapped underground for more than three days in 2002 have settled lawsuits against the mine's operator and an engineering firm that drew the maps they were using when they drilled into a water-filled abandoned mine, a newspaper reported.

Nine miners at PBS Coals' Quecreek Mine in Somerset, became trapped in a flooded tunnel on July 24, 2002; they dug into the flooded mine while relying on outdated maps that showed it was 300 feet away.

They were pulled from the ground in a dramatic rescue 77 hours later, after several of them had scrawled emotional goodbye notes to loved ones.

A Pittsburgh newspaper reported Sunday that eight of the trapped miners settled lawsuits against Quecreek Mine, the mine operator, PBS Coals, and the engineering firm that certified the maps. Under the terms of the settlement signed Friday, the monetary award to the miners remains confidential and the companies will not admit to any negligence.

"The miners are very happy that this matter is over. It's been a long, difficult fight for them to get justice," their attorney, Howard Messer, told the newspaper.

"They're very happy with the results," he said.

Attorneys representing Quecreek and PBS Coals did not return messages left by the newspaper; Musser Engineering officers declined to comment to the newspaper.

A second group of miners who made it to safety also sued the companies and will share in the settlement, the newspaper reported.

The eight trapped miners who sued in 2003 are Randy Fogle, Dennis Hall, Blaine Mayhugh, Robert Pugh, Ronald Hileman, John Phillippi, John Unger and Tom Foy; the ninth trapped miner, Mark Popernack, did not sue.