CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Recovery teams have located the body of a coal miner early Thursday who was trapped in a flooded mine in southern West Virginia, according to Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The miner's body was found in the Rolling Thunder Mine, operated by Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc., located near Belva, approximately 50 miles east of Charleston.
The tragedy unfolded last Saturday when a mining crew accidentally breached an unknown pocket of water approximately three-quarters of a mile into the mine. This led to significant flooding after an old mine wall was compromised, Morrisey reported. Fortunately, over a dozen other miners were accounted for after the incident was reported.
This incident marks the third fatality in just this year at facilities managed by Alpha Metallurgical, with previous accidents noted in Raleigh County, highlighting persistent safety issues within coal mining operations. In one incident, an elevator at a processing facility struck a miner, while another involved a falling coal seam that fatally injured a contractor.
Rescue efforts included drilling holes into the mine to expedite the recovery process, and dive teams explored potential areas where air pockets might exist. The National Cave Rescue Commission also provided advanced communication equipment to aid in the challenging underground environment.
Rolling Thunder is one of 11 underground mines operated by Alpha Metallurgical Resources in West Virginia, with the company also managing surface mines across the region. The state's mining history has seen numerous incidents, with notable past tragedies raising ongoing concerns about worker safety and the integrity of older mining infrastructure.
