Seven dead, 19 missing after coal mine explosion in West Virginia
April 6th, 2010 - 2:28 pm ICT by BNO NewsCHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA (BNO NEWS) — At least seven coal miners died and 19 are unaccounted for after an explosion Monday at a coal mine in West Virginia, officials said.
The explosion happened around 3 p.m. ET at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
Massey Energy confirmed seven dead and 19 miners unaccounted for after the explosion. “We are working diligently on rescue efforts and continue to partner with all of the appropriate agencies.”
The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety &Training has dispatched trained mine rescue teams to the site in order to aid in the efforts taking place at the Upper Big Branch mine.
President Obama spoke with WV Gov Joe Manchin to express his condolences for those killed in the mine explosion and to offer any assistance, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.
The mine is operated by a Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co. In 2009, Massey reported a decrease in its NFDL incident rate from 1.93 to 1.67. This is a measure of lost-time accidents. Massey is the largest coal producer in the Central Appalachian region; it has sixteen complexes in West Virginia for blending, processing and shipping coal that is produced from one or more mines.
On January 2, 2006, an explosion took the lives of twelve miners in the Sago mine in West Virginia. The incident was caused by a methane explosion, 14 men walked to safety and another worker was rescued from the mine.
- Twenty-five dead, 4 missing after coal mine explosion in West Virginia - Apr 06, 2010
- 25 killed in US mine explosion - Apr 06, 2010
- Six killed in explosion at US coal mine - Apr 06, 2010
- Seven killed in explosion at US coal mine (Lead) - Apr 06, 2010
- Six dead, 21 missing after coal mine explosion in West Virginia - TV - Apr 06, 2010
- Efforts to recover miners from W. Va. mine concluded - Apr 13, 2010
- 12 killed in US coalmine blast (Second Lead) - Apr 06, 2010
- Mine Explosion In West Virginia Kills Seven, 19 Missing - Apr 06, 2010
- Kentucky Governor addresses West Virginia mine tragedy - Apr 06, 2010
- US announces probe into mine blast; toll reaches 29 - Apr 11, 2010
- West Virginian Mine Owner Guarantees Benefits To The Kith And Kin Of The Victims Of The Detonation - Apr 27, 2010
- Mining Disaster At Montcoal In West Virginia (W.Va.) An Extremely Deadly One - Apr 09, 2010
- Massey Energy Company CEO Declares Compensation For The Dead Miners' Families - Apr 27, 2010
- Massey Energy says to conduct extensive reviews of the Upper Big Branch accident - Apr 10, 2010
- Obama expresses condolences on W. Va. mine accident - Apr 10, 2010
Tags: appalachian region, charleston west virginia, coal co, coal mine explosion, coal mine explosion in west virginia, coal miners, coal producer, county west virginia, explosion in west virginia, incident rate, joe manchin, massey energy, methane explosion, mine explosion in west virginia, raleigh county west virginia, robert gibbs, sago mine, time accidents, west virginia office, white house press