The worst U.S. mine disaster in more than two decades has left 25 coal miners dead at Massey Energy ‘s (MEE-N) Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia.
Rescue workers were initially delayed after the huge underground explosion on Monday afternoon because methane gas and smoke forced them to pull back.
At the time The Northern Miner went to press, four miners were still missing and rescuers hope that they made it safely to an emergency chamber stocked with food, water, and enough air to survive for four days. But when rescue workers checked one of two chambers nearby, it was empty.
Rescue efforts will include drilling three holes or shafts to a depth of about 1,100 feet from the surface above the mine to release the toxic gas, a combination of methane and carbon monoxide. But Governor Joe Manchin told reporters at an early morning news conference on Tuesday that it would take at least twelve hours to complete the drilling and ensure the safety of rescue teams.
News agencies reported that investigators do not know what ignited the blast, but believe methane gas played a role. Some of the workers killed may have died in the blast itself or by inhaling the poisonous gas fumes.
According to the Associated Press quoting safety officials, the coal mine, 48 km south of Charleston, has a history of safety violations including improper ventilation. Over the last year, AP writes, “federal inspectors fined the company $382,000 for repeated serious violations involving its ventilation plan and equipment at Upper Big Branch.”
The dead include 62-year-old Benny R. Willingham, who was five weeks away from retirement.
In 1984, a fire at Emery Mining Corp.’s mine in Orangeville, Utah killed 27 miners and in 1970, an explosion at a mine owned by Finley Coal Co. in Hyden, Kentucky, killed 37.
Massey Energy is based in Richmond, Virginia and is one of the top five coal producers in the U.S.
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