Fatalities in mine explosion

State Mine Safety Director Ron Wooten tells MetroNews he's been told six coal miners have been killed in an explosion at a Raleigh County underground mine.

Massey Energy reported the explosion Monday afternoon at its Performance Coal Company Upper Branch Mine on the Raleigh-Boone county line near Whitesville and Montcoal.

Wooten tells MetroNews the Boone County Ambulance Service reported six dead and 21 unaccounted for. Wooten says the explosion occurred at the mine's Ellis Portal.

911 dispatchers in Boone and Raleigh counties tell MetroNews the explosion was reported at 4:22 p.m. They also confirmed fatalities. EMS crews from multiple counties are on the scene along with three volunteer fire departments.

Three helicopters have helping transport some injured miners.

Mine rescue teams along with MSHA and state investigators are heading to the scene

wow, very scary...that is such a dangerous job,

this is very bad news...pray to God those 21 can be found alive.

i'm not sure i would do that job for $ 1,000,000 a year...

i couldnt make it 1 hour , let alone a whole year in a mine...

Very Sad News..I hope they find the Missing Safe & sound.

Mining is so dangerous

wasn't the last explosion the morning of the Super Bowl. but different mine and in West Virginia i think.

bucsfan67 said:

wow, very scary...that is such a dangerous job,

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death is very frequent in mining so true

27 dead now. WOW! No way I would do this work for the pay these guy get why would anyone.

Sad, no other words can express the feelings I have for the families and workers of this mine.

For those lucky enough not to be involved, they get to experience memorial services and funerals for 29 friends and family members. Then they get to face a future of unemployment in a long economically depressed area as it's doubtful they will ever reopen this mine (nor would I want to go back).

The lack of communication from the company is horrifying. Clear some simple safety proceedures were overlooked here. There is no excuse for all communication in the mine being wiped out.

Not sure of the weather down there yesterday, but it's well known low pressure weather fronts and the drier winter air is a recipe for explosions. Methane is forced out, and this mine had problems in the best of conditions with methane.

LA Matty said:

wasn't the last explosion the morning of the Super Bowl. but different mine and in West Virginia i think.

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it was the day of the sugar bowl, where wvu beat georgia.....it was the sago mine....think 12 died that day....

Highlights from Metronews interview with Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship on the disaster at Upper Big Branch Mine

--Does he believe the four miners unaccounted for are alive? "Certainly I'm very hopeful that we get a miracle...but certainly it's hard to for see ."

--He first learned of the accident when he was notified about "CO (carbon monoxide) alarms" in the mine. When they learned that the miners on the mantrip were dead and injured they knew the other miners "were at high risk as well."

--The magnitude of the explosion: "It's gigantic in terms of the loss, but also it was a pretty powerful explosion."

--What happened? "We obviously had explosive atmosphere and then you need an ignition source."

--Did it combine with coal dust to increase the magnitude? "I don't know that, but I don't think so." But Blankenship points out that he's not an engineer.

--The mine has been cited a number of times for safety violations: "Violations are unfortunately a normal part of the mining process. There are violations at every coal mine in America and UBB (Upper Big Branch) was a mine that had violations. I think the fact that MSHA, the state and our fire bosses and the best engineers that you can find were all in and around this mine and all believed it to be safe in the circumstances it was in speaks for itself as far as any suspicion that the mine was improperly operated."

--Did the mine have more violations? "It might...you have to be careful with violation counts though when you are talking about a mine with five active sections as opposed to one with one active section and a mine that operates seven days a week a lot of weeks. The numbers can cause an improper conclusion if they are not fully vetted." He added that the mine had been idled at times by MSHA, but he said that happens to all mines.

--More on the safety of the mine: "The only thing I can say is the people with MSHA and with the state and the people that work at this mine for Massey are top quality people who are doing everything they can to keep this mine safe. Obviously none of those groups would have allowed this mine to operate if it were thought to be unsafe."

--On staying in touch with family members: "We've been in constant communication with them through others. I'm sure the updates don't come as frequently as people would like, but a lot of times we just don't have new information and we're set up to communicate it as best we can."

--Does he expect to be the object of anger of family members? "Yes, I think that's a natural thing, even though I have not been in the mine in years and even though I think we've been very creative on safety and I've never held back anything related to safety...people who are in anguish over the loss of a loved one are going to vent that anger toward someone and I would suspect in some cases it will be me."

Gov. Manchin said “it had to be a horrific explosion” at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine that killed at least 25 miners. Four miners are still in the mine and unaccounted for.

The rescue attempts to reach the four miners still missing has shifted to a drilling operation to try to vent the mine. Manchin said four holes are being drilled from above into the mine. That will take hours, meaning it could be tomorrow before rescuers can return to the mine.

The expectation is that once the mine is vented, rescuers can return underground to search for the four. Manchin said three of the four are in a section where a safety shelter is located—the only shelter that has not yet been checked.

Rescuers hope that the miners may have reached the safety shelter and survived, but Manchin cautioned that survival would have been difficult “as horrific as the explosion was.”

The explosion happened at the underground mine in Raleigh County Monday afternoon during a shift change.

The mine has had safety problems in the past and at Tuesday’s noon-time briefing, Manchin, MSHA administrator Kevin Stricklin and state Secretary of Mine Safety and Health Ron Wooten were pressed on the issue.

“We have to get into this investigation,” Wooten said. “It’s going to be lengthy. We need to find everything we possibly can.”

Stricklin also promised a thorough probe, but said clearly there had to be a cause. “It’s quite evident that something went very wrong for us to have something of this magnitude,” Stricklin said. “Give us an opportunity to conduct a full investigation and we’ll leave no stone unturned.”

Gov. Manchin and Congressman Nick Rahall both promised hearings on the disaster after the investigation is concluded.

"I've already spoken with the appropriate chairman and there will be a hearing in Congress," said Rahall.

Meanwhile, the families of the miners who remain unaccounted for continue to wait for word. Some are growing upset that they have yet to get detailed information from Massey.

“The families are doing very well,” Manchin said. “There’s no family like a West Virginia family…they’re loving each other…they are hanging on together, but it’s very difficult for them.”

Like a tornado

A Raleigh County man says it was like a tornado.

Coal Miner Steve Smith from Crab Orchard was heading into the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County when Monday's explosion happened.

He says it was about 3 p.m. and he was part of a group of miners entering the mine from the other side, several miles from the suspected explosion site near the Ellis Portal.

"I noticed that there was dust still lingering in the air and I'm like, 'Well, this don't make any sense, because it's like the air is not going nowhere,'" Smith told MetroNews.

"The farther we got down the track, the more the wind picked up and by the time, before you knew it, it's like your ears stopped up, you couldn't hear and the next thing you know, you're in the middle of a tornado."

They turned around and headed back to the surface.

At the time, the CO2 monitor his boss was carrying was going off signaling low oxygen.

"Since we weren't that far underground, right there on that side of the mountain, we just hurried up and high tailed it back to the outside."

Originally, he and his fellow miners thought the dust was from a rooffall. He does not know where the explosion happened for sure, but he suspects it's in the longwall section of the mine.

Any rescue attempt there, he says, will be tough.

"It would take them a good while, because by the time they would get up there and then they would have to look around, you're talking a good while." Smith says the mine is huge.

Smith says everyone is worried. "Your heart goes out to people

A brief history of mine disasters

Recent Coal Mine Accidents and Disasters in West Virginia

--Jan. 13, 2007. Brooks Run Mining Company Cucumber Mine in McDowell County. Two miners killed in a roof fall.

--Jan. 19, 2006. Aracoma Coal’s Alma #1 mine in Logan. A fire on a belt line kills two miners. County

--Jan. 2, 2006. Sago mine disaster at Tallmansville near Buckhannon. Twelve miners die.

--Jan 22, 3003. Central Cambria Drilling Co. McElroy Mine at Graysville. Three miners die an explosion.

--March 19, 1992. Consolidation Coal’s Blacksville #1 mine in Monongalia. Four die in shaft explosion. County

Other Mine Tragedies in West Virgini

--Nov. 20, 1968. Consolidation Coal’s Farmington mine. Explosion kills 78 miners.

--April 25, 1963. Clinchfield Coal Company #2 mine. Gas explosion kills 22.

--Feb. 4, 1957. Pocahontas Fuel Co. #35 mine. Gas explosion kills 37.

--Jan. 22, 1942. Christopher Coal’s #3 mine at Osage. Explosion kills 56.

--Dec. 6, 1907. Fairmont Coal Company’s Monongah #6 and #8 mine. Explosion kills 361

((Source: West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training))

So any posters here work in a mine?

Huggins Arrives to visit family members

WVU Head Basketball Coach Bob Huggins referred to coal mining and coal miners several times during the Mountaineers NCAA run and Wednesday he visited coal mining families at their most difficult time.

Huggins visited family members of the victims in the Upper Big Branch Mine tragedy in Raleigh County.

The coach, dressed in khaki pants and a WVU pullover, arrived via helicopter just after noon at Marsh Fork Elementary School. He joined Third District Congressman Nick Rahall and the pair got into a vehicle that traveled to the mine site just a few miles from the school.

Huggins did not speak with reporters upon his arrival.

The coach was carrying a large, what appeared to be heavy, bag. Some speculated it may have been items to give to family members from the NCAA Tournament and Final Four appearance. MetroNews later learned Huggins told someone the bag contained food, water, and Subway.

Rescue Crews Still Not Able To Reenter Mine

Wednesday, 4pm Update:

Officials say the Upper Big Branch mine is still too dangerous for rescuers to reenter the mine. They’re trying to reach four miners who have been missing since Monday following a massive explosion at the Massey Energy Mine in Raleigh County.

The explosion killed 25 miners, injured two and there are four still unaccounted for.

Crews this afternoon used a borehole drilled into the mine from above to sample the air and found high concentrations of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Methane levels were not in the explosive range, but MSHA administrator David Stricklin says the air mix is still too toxic for a rescue.

“We just can’t take any chances,” Stricklin told reporters during a late afternoon briefing.

Gov. Manchin said the families of the missing miners support the decision to wait on a rescue. “The families are in agreement…that the rescue operation is safe—they agree, they understand,” Manchin said.

The officials say for the miners to have had any chance survive they would have had to make it to one of the rescue chambers in the mine. “The hope is that they made it to a chamber,” said Stricklin. “They could not have survived outside based on the numbers were seeing.”

The plan now is to continue to vent the mine while also drilling down to where the other rescue chambers are located. “We want an opportunity to put cameras in boreholes to see if the chambers have been deployed,” Stricklin said. If they have been that could mean the miners are inside.

In that case, the miners would have enough oxygen, food and water to last for days. Each chamber is equipped with enough supplies to sustain 15 miners for four days, but with only four miners inside they could survive much longer.

Stricklin could not say how long it will take to pump enough of the bad air out of the mine until it’s safe for the rescuers. “We don’t know how long this will be,” Stricklin said. “We have to make sure there is not another fire and the oxygen content is good enough for the miners (rescuers) to go in.”

Officials have said there is only a slight possibility that the four miners are still alive, and the families, while hopeful, are realistic, according to Manchin. “They’re dealing in real terms,” Manchin said.

10:30a Thursday update)

After five hours underground on Thursday morning, mine rescue teams were pulled out of the Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County because of "explosive" levels of dangerous gases.

Mine Safety and Health Administration Coal Administrator Kevin Stricklin says they had no choice since the air quality continued to deteriorate.

At least 25 miners were killed in the Monday explosion. Two others were injured.

Before being forced back to the surface, the crews were not able to fully check the areas around the explosion site for the four miners who are still not accounted for, four days after the explosion.

Four mine rescue teams with eight members each entered the mine at 4:55 a.m. Thursday and had to cover miles to get to the area where the miners are believed to be at this point.

The two remaining mine rescue chambers have still not been checked. The teams were within 1,000 feet of the first chamber.

The only hope for the four is if they survived the explosion and were able to make it to one of those rescue shelters.


The plan is to continue to ventilate the mine in hopes of returning crews to the mine as soon as possible.

Update on Mine Rescue: Thursday, 1:30pm

Rescuers hope to return to the Upper Big Branch mine around seven this evening to see if they can reach four miners still unaccounted for after Monday’s horrific explosion that killed 25 miners and injured two others.

Rescuers worked their way deep into the mine early this morning, but were pulled within 500 feet of an inflatable rescue chamber where the miners could be because of the risk of another explosion.

Now crews above ground are finishing work on a second borehole into the mine to improve ventilation. Massey Energy COO Chris Adkins said once the hole is finished a fan will be attached to draw explosive gases out of the mine.

Adkins says if the venting fails to make the mine safe they'll next try to pump nitrogen into the mine "to render the atmosphere to where it's not explosive."

The venting began overnight to lower dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane. Rescue teams started in the mine at five this morning, but they were pulled out about four hours later because they reached an area where there was an “explosive mixture” of gasses, according to Adkins.

Adkins said the rescuers—four teams of eight members each—were “very angry” they had to be pulled out. “They’re running on adrenalin. They’re very tired,” Adkins said.

He added that they’re trying to get the rescue workers to rest, but he conceded “it’s kinda hard.”

Adkins said they may have found another way to the chamber they are trying to reach and might be able to use an all-terrain vehicle on their next trip. On the last trip, the rescuers took a mantrip part of the way, but then had to walk the rest of the way. It's close to two miles from the mine entrance to where the explosion happened.