Curragh completes Westray flooding

To suppress methane buildup and prevent cave-ins, Curragh (TSE) has flooded about 60% of the Westray coal mine in Nova Scotia.

Westray was closed last May after an explosion killed 26 miners working underground. Rescue teams recovered only 15 bodies.

Mine Manager Richard Rouse said about eight million gallons of water were used to flood the mine workings, where the 11 remaining bodies are trapped. Curragh will now try to secure a permit to rehabilitate and reopen the mine. Rouse said the area where the bodies lie will eventually be dewatered, but that the work required to make a recovery attempt could take months. A previous flooding effort initiated last June was put on hold by the government.