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Subscribe to RSSSALT LAKE CITY - A miner was killed and another injured on Friday when part of a tunnel roof collapsed at a coal mine in central Utah, authorities said.
The miner was killed in the cave-in at the Rhino mine in Bear Canyon, 10 miles from Huntington in central Utah, which was reported shortly after 3 p.m. local time, the Emery County Sheriff's Office said.
Rescue workers recovered one injured miner at the site, who was taken to the Castleview Hospital in Price, Utah, for treatment, Sheriff's office spokeswoman Molly Barnes said.
"Members of the Rhino mine rescue team have recovered the body of the second coal miner," Barnes said. She said his identity would not be released until his family had been informed.
The Rhino mine is part of the Castle Valley Mining Complex, according to news reports. A call to Rhino Resource Partners, which owns the operation in Emery and Carbon Counties, Utah, was not returned.
The mine is just a few miles from a coal mine at Crandall Canyon, Utah, where a collapse in August 2007 trapped and killed six workers 1,800 feet underground in a cave-in so powerful that it caused a magnitude 3.9 seismic waves.
Three rescue workers were killed in a second collapse ten days after the initial disaster.
Joe Piccolo, the mayor of the nearby mining town of Price, where the injured miner was taken for treatment, said local communities in the Utah coal belt had "always sustained themselves through grief stricken situations."
"It's a dangerous occupation, but we will pull together," he told Reuters.
Barnes could not confirm the condition of the injured miner. Piccolo said he had been treated and released from hospital.
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How sad to have lost a miner but fortunately only one other was injured.The people in this area are especially sensitive to the risks of mining over the decades.Deepest thanks to rescuers for a quick rescue.Condolences to this man's family,prayers the other one fully recovers quickly.
With the vast quantities of coal available and being strip-mined in Wyoming and Montana, one has to wonder why we keep sending our miners into dangerous underground mines.
I spent 4 years in mines in that region. The money was good, but, not being raised in a mining family, it wasn't worth the risk after the 3rd near miss. In some cases, it's the miners themselves, not the company, that pushes for more production, sometimes exposing more unsupported roof than can safely be supported with temporary support, ie. timbers, jacks, cribbing. The company does push more than they should, but not always. A mistake in a mine is sometimes the last one you make.
I've lived in Central Utah. The hunger for @!$%#ing coal puts a lot of people at risk for the big energy companies. Let's see some of the turd cEO's travel into the mines!!!!
That will never happen.......they're rich........rich make money off those less fortunate any way they can.
Don't forget-the miners chose to work in the mine-they know the risks.
I have family that worked,and some died, in underground coal mines in W.va.
I once saw a concrete cap that had been placed over an air shaft to put out a mine fire blow 50 feet into the air when hunting in the area-it's a dangerous occupation-if there's any kind of collapse-rescue is a very slim possibility.
At least more weren't injured or killed in this collapse.
I saw that on Tv and am a retired miner
sometimes there is no way to know about possible roof falls but gas explosions should always end in top managers going to prison
bopdaddy, having been a miner, I agree with you on gas explosions. There are too many ways to minimize the chances of a major explosion. I've been exposed to methane flare-ups, scary as he!!, but with liberal use of rock dust and keeping airways up to date, flushing air across working faces and exhaust channeled away from active work areas, risk of major ignition can be nearly eliminated. Coal dust is much more explosive than methane. Methane can reach such a high concentration it puts itself out, but coal dust, suspended in the atmosphere, is explosive in very high concentrations.
Some people are claustrophobic, others acrophobic, and even others are petrified around electricity. I became an Electrician, for me it was the easy way, could never have been a Miner or a Steelworker. I have a pilot's license too, go figure! Sorry to hear of this accident, rest in peace.
The two most dangerous mines in the world are underground coal mines and Copper mines. The dust from each can cause an explosion plus the geology simply makes them unstable. I have not been in an underground coal mine but have a underground Copper mine and it scared the hell out of me.
Does the mayor of Price not realize that by saying that mining work is dangerous his police officers are not going to like that? Think about it, only police work is dangerous and heroic. Geez mayor you did not receive the memo.
This Country needs to regain it's faith in God! The Bible is quite clear on sodomy being a sin against God and His Churches. All Lawmakers and Judges who approve such acts shall be abolished from Heaven. Also included is the society which accepts such acts they to shall be abolished. No man or woman can truly be Christian and turn as cowards to accept sodomy in there society.
Handyman, I think you ventured a little bit off topic. I'm sure a lot of people would agree with your sentiments, but this is neither the time or the place.
Makes me sad, but it's a shame we still allow coal mining anywhere, at all. A bad deal all around. And don't flame me.
I have nothing against coal, but there are ways to cut down severely on emissions from plants and mills using coal. If industry would be willing to meet halfway, we could both be on the winning side. Many people that blame Obama for losing jobs in mining, look at how many jobs were lost when so many mines went to longwall production, rather than room and pillar. Once the blocks are cut, one crew on a longwall can far outproduce 5 crews using a continuous mining machine.