miners news stories on Newser

China Accidents Trap 40 Miners

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 06:20:15 CDT

A coal mine flood in southwestern China trapped 21 miners underground, while a cave-in at another mine today killed at least three workers and left 19 others sealed off, officials said. Rescuers scrambled to reach the miners at the Niupeng coal mine in the county of Pingtang in Guizhou province...

Trapped Miner's Body Recovered

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:19:05 CDT

After nine days, workers yesterday recovered the body of Larry Marek, who was trapped during a cave-in in an Idaho silver mine. Marek and his brother, Mike, had just finished watering down blasted-out rock and ore in the mine on April 15 when the ceiling collapsed in a 6,150-foot-deep...

Rescuers Work Through Night, But Miner Still Trapped

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:48:05 CDT

Rescuers worked through the night and were still at it today, but a man trapped in an Idaho mine since Friday remains underground. A remote-controlled digging machine was brought in today, the AP reports, but it must be disassembled and then reassembled more than a mile below ground, and it’s...

New Zealand Mourns 29 Lost Miners

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:24:44 CST

As New Zealand mourns the 29 miners lost in Tuesday’s second explosion , civic leaders are already calling for the mine to be reopened. "A big part of our economy on the west coast is coal and, yes, we want our men back down the mine working,” says the district mayor,...

Second Blast Hits NZ Mine, All Miners Believed Dead

Rob Quinn — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:16:26 CST

A second huge blast has hit the New Zealand coal mine where 29 miners are missing and authorities say it would have been impossible for anybody to survive. "We are now going into recovery mode," a police superintendent said. High levels of toxic gases thwarted rescue attempts after a blast...

27 Missing After NZ Mine Blast

Rob Quinn — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:48:01 CST

One person is dead and at least 27 are unaccounted for after an underground explosion at a coal mine on New Zealand's South Island. An electrician sent to investigate a power outage discovered a loader driver who had been blown off his machine nearly a mile into the mine shaft,...

Chilean Miner Hits NYC Marathon

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 09:00:00 CST

He trained 2,300 feet underground, running miles each day with his very life in the balance, but today rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena hit the ground running in the New York City Marathon. He began at 9:40am, and hoped to finish the 26.2-mile race in six hours....

Chilean Miner Sings, Dances, Cracks Dave Up

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:08:00 CDT

Rescued Chilean miner Edison Peña appeared on the Late Show last night, and cracked up host David Letterman with his tales of the “funky” conditions in the mine before it collapsed. “Is, in South America, ‘funky’ a mining term?” Letterman asked. After a pause, Peña’s cheerful reply: “Si!” Watch highlights...

All 37 Chinese Miners Dead

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 06:57:48 CDT

Chinese officials have pulled the last five bodies of miners from the Yuzhou shaft that exploded Saturday , bringing the toll to 37. The outcome stands in sharp contrast to the rescue in Chile, reports the BBC, with little media attention paid to the latest accident in an industry that lost...