Two western Kentucky miners were missing Thursday and rescuers were unable to contact them after a roof collapsed in a large underground coal mine that had a history of safety violations, officials said.
Rescue crews were in the mine on Thursday morning, said Ricki Gardenhire, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing. Mine operators told a news conference that they are holding out hope of finding the miners alive.
U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Amy Louviere said rescue crews entered the Webster County Coal Dotiki (doh-TEE'-kee) Mine about 11:30 p.m., and traveled approximately four miles to the area where the miners are trapped. Their efforts to stabilize the roof and haul away rock were temporarily halted about 4:50 a.m. because of "adverse roof conditions."
I live in a very peculiar world. I don't feel that coal is necessarily the only source of energy for America, but I also know that many families in my region have no other real options in order to provide for their families.
That being said, the company that I work for values the safety and reliability of what we build and what we provide. As far as the Dotiki Mine, which I have been on site multiple times, you get the sense of safety when on premises. But far too often, that's where it stops.
Reports are coming in from friends and family members around the area that one of the men ( as yet, unidentified ) has been found alive. The initial word coming in stated that a "rock fall" had occurred in the ares where the two men were operating a continuous miner. Safety crews were able to get to the rear of the vehicle, but the remainder of the area was completely blocked off from the fall.
I'll update this post as the story develops.
UPDATE
The body of Micheal Carter was recovered from the area of the rock fall at Dotiki Mine. It is still uncertain as to whether or not the other miner, Justin Travis, is alive or not.
Discussing this issue with fellow employees and residents of the area this afternoon, you get the overriding sense that people are more concerned with protecting the mine against any scrutiny. This strikes me as more than just a little odd, considering that safety and security should be priority number one. But then again, we are living in a time where some feel that their jobs are going to be taken away by the government. This is most certainly a sentiment that is echoed through the mining community.
UPDATE
Regional news station WFIE has a live Twitter feed up and video footage from teh Dotiki Mine site and is continually updating as new information comes in.
Oddly enough, the Dotiki Mine site was referenced in an April 23rd piece in Business Week regarding it's citiations for safety violations that ultimately would lead to what happened late last night.
UPDATE
Justin Travis has been found. He is alive but his condition is not being reported at this time.
As further details are coming in, it appears that Travis and Carter were cleaning up a "small fall" prior to the event that would eventually trap the two men. It's unsure as of yet whether or not they should have been evacuated from the scene rather than take on any clean-up efforts.
UPDATE
More information regarding the DOTIKI Mine and their safety record has come to light. It's being reported that in the last 12 months, 25 "falls" have been reported.
Also, units of Alliance Resource Partners ( the company that owns the Dotiki Mine ) traded lower ( 6.2% ) and it is likely that that decline may steepen based on relevent information that comes from this incident.
CORRECTION
It appears that earlier reports from sources not directly connected to the mine rescue effort have been shown to be incorrect. Justin Travis is still trapped inside the mine as of 42 minutes ago.
FINAL UPDATE
Tragically, but somewhat predictably, both miners have been located and are dead.
A news release issued by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear Thursday afternoon indicates both men missing after a Hopkins County mine accident have been found dead.
"Today has been a terrible day for Kentucky and for our coal-mining families," the governor said in a statement. "I am very saddened to announce that we have lost two miners, Michael Carter and Justin Travis, in the roof collapse at Dotiki mine in western Kentucky. Our entire state mourns along with their families and friends. Despite our sadness, we must press forward to the work ahead of us – fully investigating what caused this accident and determining ways to avoid such accidents in the future."
The rescue effort had to abruptly end after the body of Justin Travis was found due to the unstable nature of the mine - more rocks began to fall. A further investigation is pending but I'm curious if MSHA will completely shut down the mine until it can be shown to be a safe working environment.
I'm going to keep an eye on this story.
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