25 dead at Massey coal mine in W. Va.

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, W. Va.

Rescue workers were initially delayed after the huge underground explosion on the afternoon of April 5 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 hoped 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 335 metres from the surface above the mine to release the toxic-gas mixture of methane and carbon monoxide. But Governor Joe Manchin told reporters at an early morning news conference the next day that it would take at least 12 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. 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 (US)$382,000 for repeated serious violations involving its ventilation plan and equipment at Upper Big Branch.”

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, Ky., killed 37.

Massey Energy is based in Richmond, Va., and is one of the top five coal producers in the U.S.