CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In a tragic turn of events, the body of a coal miner was recovered early Thursday from the Rolling Thunder Mine in southern West Virginia, which had been inundated by flooding caused by an unexpected pocket of water discovered last Saturday.
The accident occurred around three-quarters of a mile into mine operations owned by Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc., close to Belva, approximately 50 miles east of Charleston. Governor Patrick Morrisey confirmed that more than a dozen other miners were accounted for during the incident.
This marks the third tragic death at an Alpha facility in West Virginia in 2023. Previous incidents involved a miner being fatally injured by a testing elevator at a processing facility in August and another death due to a coal seam collapse in February.
The rescue efforts included drilling holes in the mine to expedite the search for any remaining trapped miners. Advanced communication technology was deployed with the assistance of the National Cave Rescue Commission, which provided Army phones wired for extended underground use.
Rolling Thunder is one of eleven underground mines operated by Alpha in West Virginia. The company is also engaged in multiple surface mining operations across the state and Virginia, raising concerns about the overall safety protocols in place for miners.
Officials noted that the area adjacent to Rolling Thunder has been previously mined but extensive data generated had not raised any significant hydrological concerns. Nonetheless, the tragedy has highlighted the potential risks of mining operations and the necessity for stringent safety measures.
Both historical context and recent incidents suggest a pressing need for improved safety regulations in the mining industry, as past accidents have similarly illustrated the dangers that miners continually face in underground environments.
