Official: 2 Killed At West Virginia Coal Mine
WHARTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Two workers died after they were trapped as the ground failed at a West Virginia coal mine with a history of safety violations, federal and state officials said Tuesday.
The ground failure occurred just about 8:45 p.m. Monday, trapping the workers, safety agency officials told The Associated Press in emails. The miners' bodies were recovered, and safety personnel were on the site of Brody Mine No. 1 in Boone County, about 50 miles south of Charleston.
No additional injuries or trapped workers were reported, spokeswoman Leslie Fitzwater Smithson of the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training said in an email.
Preliminary indications show that a coal burst was responsible, according to state officials and mine owner Patriot Coal.
Coal bursts are violent failures of ribs, roofs or floors in underground mines, according to descriptions from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monday's incident involved the ground, MSHA spokeswoman Amy Louviere told The Associated Press in an email.
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