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West Virginia Mine Explosion: Death Toll, Missing

by Scott Wu | April 5, 2010 at 02:50 pm

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West Virginia Coal Mine Explosion: Number of Dead and Missing - Upper Big Branch Mine

The grim death count continues at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia. The number of confirmed dead at the time of this post has reached 25 miners. - A big jump in the death toll as rescue teams were impeded by toxic gases.

Safety officials say chances are slim of finding four workers alive in a West Virginia coal mine where a blast killed 25 in the worst U.S. mine disaster in more than two decades... Safety officials say some miners were killed by the blast Monday afternoon while others died from breathing toxic air.

Mine rescue teams were hoping to find at least some of the trapped miners in rescue chambers but they were reported empty.

It does not appear that any of the individuals made it to a rescue chamber," Stricklin said at a news conference on Tuesday.

"The situation is dire."

Ron Wooten, the state mining director, said that while the situation did not seem
promising to reach the four still missing, rescuers would not give up.

"We haven't given up hope at all," he said.

There were a total of 29 miners caught in the the Raleigh County mine explosion when it occurred at 3:00 pm on Monday. The causes of the mine blast is still unknown.

Earlier Mine Blast Coverage

West Virginia Mines: Safety Record

The explosion happened at the Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, south of Charleston. The mine is operated by Performance Coal Co., a subsidiary of Massey Energy.

The Upper Big Branch Mine has recorded a worst than national average for non-fatal injury rate, according to MSHA. In 1998, a worker was killed when a supporting beam collapsed. In 2001, one worker was killed in a roof fall incident, and in 2003, another worker was killed in an electrical accident.

Massey Energy is has the largest coal production in central Appalachia. On its official website, Massey Energy says "S-1 means Safety First at Massey Energy Company and it's not just a slogan. It is our top priority every day."

"We have received information that there are several unaccounted for, perhaps as many as 21," Wooten said in a phone interview. "We have received a report that there are six fatalities."