MONTCOAL, W.Va. — Mine safety officials say seven miners killed inside a West Virginia coal mine Monday were leaving the site in a vehicle when an explosion occurred.
Kevin Stricklin, an administrator with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said two other men on the vehicle were hurt. He said 19 others remained unaccounted for, including two crews of nine workers and a fireboss who had been working alone.
The explosion destroyed all communication lines inside the mine. Stricklin said there are two rescue chambers near the blast site that, if the trapped miners can reach them, are stocked with food, water and enough air to survive four days.
Stricklin said officials don’t think there was a roof collapse, but they don’t yet know what caused the explosion.
Massey Energy Co.’s Upper Big Branch mine, in Raleigh County about 30 miles south of Charleston, has a history of releasing vast amounts of highly combustible methane gas, the mine owner and mine safety officials said. The mine has had three other fatalities in the past dozen years.
Nine rescue crews usually made up of six members each were at the mine that covers several square miles, said federal Mine Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Amy Louviere.
“We want to assure the families of all the miners we are taking every action possible to locate and rescue those still missing,” said Massey chief executive Don Blankenship, who confirmed the number of dead and missing in a statement.
