mine collapse news stories on Newser

West Virginia Coal Mine Settles for $210M in Disaster

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:56:15 CST

The owner of a West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men will pay nearly $210 million in a historic settlement arising from the worst US coal mining disaster in decades. An attorney with knowledge of the Upper Big Branch settlement provided details to the AP. The agreement...

50 Trapped in China Mine Cave-In

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:01:05 CDT

Rescuers pulled seven injured miners to the surface today and were trying to reach 50 others trapped after a cave-in at a coal mine in central China, state media reported. Four miners were killed when the cave-in blasted rock into the mine shaft last night and 14 managed to escape,...

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,...

Rescuers Begin Drilling to Reach NZ Miners

savageviking — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:49:55 CST

Rescuers began drilling more than 48 hours after a methane explosion in a New Zealand mine trapped 29 workers. Officials said that gas levels in the mine were receding, but still fluctuating, causing uncertainty as to whether the tunnel is safe enough for a search and recovery operation. A rig...

Tunnel to Chile Miners Passes Escape Test

Nick McMaster — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:07:03 CDT

Rescue workers finished reinforcing the tunnel from the surface to a collapsed shaft where 33 Chilean miners are trapped, the AP reports, and an escape capsule successfully navigated almost the entire length in a test. "We didn't send it all the way down because we could risk that someone will...

Drill Breaks Through to Chilean Mine

Polly Davis Doig — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:51:44 CDT

Sirens and cheers went up today as a drill finally broke through to the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 66 days, reports the AP. The milestone means that if the shaft is found to be solid, miners could start emerging one by one as soon as Tuesday. But that's...

Trapped Miners Finally Getting Cigarettes

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:24:00 CDT

The trapped Chilean miners have been asking for cigarettes for more than a week—and they’re finally about to get them. Rescuers will send down two packs a day for the 33 men to share, CNN reports . Until now, the miners had only been receiving nicotine patches and gum; upgrades...