Rescue crews have recovered the remains of the mine worker who had been missing since a West Virginia mine flooded on Saturday, according to the state’s governor on the fourth day.
The remains was discovered inside the mine site near Belva, approximately 80 kilometers east of the capital city of the capital.
Details of the Incident
A team of miners had struck an unknown pocket of water last Saturday about three-quarters of a mile into the mine, which filled with water after an old mine wall “was compromised”, officials reported. Over twelve other workers were safely evacuated after the incident was reported.
Previous Deaths at Company Sites
This fatality marks the third incident at a mining facility in the state this calendar year. The previous two took place in adjacent Raleigh county: one incident in August when an lift being tested hit a miner on a first-floor platform, and a second in the second month when a coal seam fell on a contractor at a separate location.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Holes were drilled in the mine in an effort to speed up the search process, and dive teams searched potential areas in the water where air pockets might exist. Advanced communication tools were supplied to enable better subsurface contact over great distances.
Mine Background
The Rolling Thunder is one of 11 underground mines managed in West Virginia by the headquartered in Tennessee company. The firm also operates four surface mines in the region, as well as additional underground and surface mines in neighboring Virginia.
Officials said that the disused site next to the active mine had been in operation during the mid-20th century.
Consultant Assessment
A report prepared in February for the company by an technical advisory group indicated that the region had been thoroughly investigated by prior operators, generating substantial archival information that was reviewed in evaluating its coal extraction prospects.
The identical document says that the Rolling Thunder coal seam runs parallel to and beneath the drainage of a local stream, but stated there were “no significant hydrologic concerns” impacting extraction activities.
