Two coal miners killed on eve of W.Va. primary

Two West Virginia coal miners died in a mine collapse Monday night, on the eve of primary elections where candidates have tried to one up their rivals in expressing devotion to the coal industry and opposition to the Obama administration’s perceived war on fossil fuels.

The accident in Boone County, near Charleston, the state capital, at Patriot Coal’s Brody No. 1 mine, killed 48-year-old Twilight resident Eric D. Legg and Gary P. Hensely, a 46-year-old from Chapmanville, according to The Charleston Gazette.

The men were the second and third fatalities in W.Va. mine accidents in 2014. Counting the two men who died Monday, there have been five coal mining deaths in the U.S. so far this year.

Maria Gunnoe, a community organizer with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, was Legg’s stepsister, and described him as a great father to two children. His son, Gunnoe said, is also a coal miner.

“When something like this happens, it leaves our community broken. Everybody here knows everybody, so it doesn’t only break the heart of the people that loved him so dearly. It breaks everyone’s heart because everybody knew him,” Gunnoe said.

Dustin White, an environmental activist in Boone County, said he feels the coal industry puts profit over people — and that the traditional refrain of “pray for our miners” doesn’t help.

“I just lost my father in March to cancer, and he worked most of his adult life in the mines,” White told Al Jazeera, adding that his father was just 65, only retiring in 2006.

Coal miners face the risk of lung diseases from breathing in mine dust. Beyond sturdy ceilings and walls, good ventilation is key to the health of miners.

“We talked to a oncologist in Richmond, Va. and he asked my dad what kind of work he did ... asking if he had been exposed to asbestos ... and when dad said he was a coal miner, the oncologist just nodded and ended the conversation.”

Patriot Coal released a statement attributing Monday’s accident to “a severe coal burst as the mine was conducting retreat mining operations.”

“Retreat mining is an often-dangerous procedure that involves removing coal pillars left behind after continuous mining,” said the Gazette. It is intended to get every last salvageable bit of coal from an old mine, but sometimes leaves shafts without sufficient support.

According to the Associated Press, Brody No. 1 was one of three coal mines added to a Pattern of Violations list in October for “repeatedly breaking federal health and safety regulations over the previous year.” The mine was cited for 253 serious violations.

The designation is one of the Federal Mine Safety Health Administration's most severe. It implies that conditions pose serious threat to miners' lives. 

Polls in West Virginia close at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

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