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Update: Death Toll In West Virginia Mine Explosion At 25
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April 6, 2010 6:53 a.m. EST
Topics: labor, disaster and accident, employee, economy, business and finance, coal, energy and resource, industrial accident, United States
Kris Alingod - AHN News Contributor
WV, United States (AHN) - Twenty-five miners died late Monday after an explosion at a mine in southern West Virginia operated by Massey Energy. The tragedy, which follows the miraculous rescue of more than 100 miners trapped underground for over a week in China, is believed to be the worst mine accident in U.S. history in more than two decades.
Rescue efforts at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal have been suspended due to conditions underground, Massey Energy said in a statement issued early Tuesday.
The explosion took place at about 3:00 pm a day after Easter. The company initially confirmed seven dead and 19 miners missing. The death toll is now more than two dozen, with two miners in hospitals and four others missing. The names of the victims have not been released while their families are notified.
Massey chairman and CEO Don Blankenship is on site, and the company's senior vice president and chief operating officer, Chris Adkins, is coordinatign search and recue efforts with state and federal officials.
"We mourn the deaths of our members at Massey Energy," Blankenship said in a statement. "I want to offer my condolences to the miners' families who lost loved ones at Upper Big Branch. And I want to thank the rescue teams and the Massey members who continue to work hard on behalf of our miners and their families."
Massey Energy is the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia. The company is headquartered in Virginia, and operates mines in three states including Kentucky.
The explosion at the company's West Virginia mine is believed to be the worst mine accident in the nation's history since 1984, when 27 people were killed in a mine in Utah.
Upper Big Branch mine has had six violations this year related to ventilation systems to keep methane, a high combustible gas, from accumulating, according to the Center for Media and Democracy's SourceWatch.
Gov. Joe Manchin issued a statement Monday night, saying, "For those families who are still waiting for news on their missing loved ones, I want them to know that we are doing everything possible in cooperation with federal officials and the company to get our miners out as quickly and safely as possible. "
The governor spoke with President Barack Obama by telephone. The White House said the president "offered his deepest condolences to the those who lost loved ones" and assured "that the federal government stands ready to offer whatever assistance is needed in this rescue effort."
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