'Rail lines were twisted like pretzels' according to rescue workers, and 'mining machines were blown to pieces.' Rescue and recovery mission Įmergency crews initially gathered at one of the portals for the Upper Big Branch Mine in Birchton, West Virginia, about 2 miles north of Montcoal and 3 miles south of Whitesville on Route 3 (on the west side of the road). A miner working at another site approximately seven miles away from the blast said when it happened, 'it was just like your ears stopped up, you couldn't hear' and it was like being in the middle of a tornado.

He encountered flying debris as he escaped the mine. One survivor reported he first felt a rush of air, followed by a blast of hurricane-force winds. Seven bodies were recovered from the mine on the first day. The two safety chambers in the mine were inflatable units made by Strata Safety Products with air, water, sanitary facilities, and food sufficient to support more than a dozen miners for about four days they could possibly support four miners for longer than 96 hours, though only if any miners managed to reach a chamber after the blast. Massey said the mine was equipped with rescue chambers stocked with first-aid kits and oxygen tanks. One miner was evacuated by helicopter, and at least two others were evacuated by ambulance. Boone County emergency, as well as surrounding counties' emergency response teams, were dispatched, including over 20 ambulances and three helicopters. At that time, it was reported 21 miners were injured during the blast. It was initially reported that 12 miners had died with more than a dozen unaccounted for. Investigators later faulted Massey Energy for failure to properly maintain its ventilation systems, which allowed methane levels to increase to dangerous amounts. Four days later, four missing men were found dead for a total of 29 deaths. Twenty-five men were initially identified as killed. The explosion ignited from an unknown source with high methane levels being a contributing causal factor. The mine was operated by the Performance Coal Company, a subsidiary of Massey Energy. The explosion occurred at 3:27 pm local time (19:27 UTC) on Monday, April 5, 2010, at the Upper Big Branch South Mine near the community of Montcoal, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Charleston. He was found not guilty of charges of securities fraud and making false statements. įormer Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was convicted in 2015 of a misdemeanor conspiring to willfully violate safety standards and was sentenced to one year in prison. (ANR), the owner of the mine at the time, said it will permanently close its Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. Investigation of possible personal criminal liability continues, with one former superintendent, Gary May, pleading guilty in March 2012, and 'confess to conspiring to 'impede the 's enforcement efforts.'' In April 2012, coal producer Alpha Natural Resources Inc.

Alpha Natural Resources, which had bought Massey Energy in 2011, settled its corporate criminal liabilities with the U.S. It issued 369 citations at that time, assessing $10.8 million in penalties. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released its final report on December 6, 2011, concluding that flagrant safety violations contributed to the explosion. A state funded independent investigation later found Massey Energy directly responsible for the blast. The accident was the worst in the United States since 1970, when 38 miners were killed at Finley Coal Company's No. The coal dust explosion occurred at 3:27 pm.

Twenty-nine out of thirty-one miners at the site were killed. The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on Aproughly 1,000 feet (300 m) underground in Raleigh County, West Virginia at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine located in Montcoal. It can also be used as fuel, but Wood is preferred as it is a renewable resource.Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial interpretive sign They are readily identifiable in any biome except the Burnt Forest as a short, black ridge protruding from the surrounding environment.Ĭoal can be used to craft Gunpowder and Wheels. These veins yield the highest amount of coal in the game but are limited to certain biomes. For containers, coal is most easily found in ovens.ĭeposits or mounds of Coal Ore can be found above and underground in certain biomes. It can also, more rarely, be obtained by looting containers or Zombies. It can spawn to the side of the metal works building. Coal is an easily obtainable, multi-purpose resource that can be acquired by mining Coal Ore, chopping down burnt trees and wooden debris in the Burnt Forest and Wasteland biomes.

Alpha 17 7 days to die coal mining