Washington, April 6 (Coal Geology) At least 12 miners have been killed and 10 missing after a blast at Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County in the US state of West Virginia.
Ron Wooten, director of West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training, told media that six miners were dead and 21 were missing following an explosion at Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, an underground mine operated by Massey Energy subsidiary Performance Coal, Xinhua reported.
The mine is located bout 50 km south of Charleston, capital of West Virginia.
Wooten said the explosion occurred at about 3 p.m. Monday. Massey Energy didn’t immediately provide further details with regard to the casualties, extent of damage or if there were people trapped inside, saying those numbers are ‘uncertain’ at the time.
Local TV WCHS said dozens of miners are believed to be trapped underground. Emergency crews from Massey Energy, the State and federal agencies are responding to the incident.
Massey Energy, the fourth largest coal producer in the US according to revenue, operates 35 underground and 12 surface mines in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, according to the company website.
The blast occurred Monday afternoon at Massey coalmine located near Charleston in West Virginia, Xinhua reported Tuesday.
Kevin Stricklin, an administrator with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, said rescuers found five more bodies as they dug into the underground Upper Big Branch mine. He said the search for the 10 missing miners is still on.
Massey Coal CEO Don Blankenship had said earlier that seven miners were dead and 19 missing in the coalmine in Raleigh county, operated by Massey Energy subsidiary Performance Coal Co.
The new bodies were found about 2,000 feet underground. Stricklin said the miners were leaving the mine on a vehicle, which takes them in and out of the long shaft, when the blast occurred.
He said the priority was to get to the possible survivors as soon as possible.
West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller said in a statement Monday that he was working with the state and federal officials to get as much information as possible and was doing all he could to ‘help make sure all resources are made available for this rescue effort’.
It is reported that the mine has caches of extra oxygen along emergency escape routes. It also has airtight refuge chambers to provide enough air to keep miners alive for four days.
Massey Energy, the fourth largest coal producer in the US, operates 35 underground and 12 surface mines in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia.
Mine deaths are relatively uncommon in the US. Last year, 34 miners were killed on the job, 18 of them died in coalmines.
–Indo-Asian news Service
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