Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 16, 1991 TAG: 9102160460
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PENNINGTON GAP LENGTH: Medium
The body of the last of four coal miners killed in the mine collapse was recovered Friday. The accident occurred Wednesday in a shaft 1 1/2 miles below the surface.
Coal miners working in three shifts retrieved the bodies of three miners Thursday and continued digging through huge chunks of slate before recovering the last victim at 5:15 a.m. Friday, said Mike Abbott of the state Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.
Killed in the accident were section foremen Harold Dowell, 50, and Wayne Mosely, 38, and roof bolters Danny Roberts, 30, and Floyd Varble, 27, Abbott said. All were from Pennington Gap.
Abbott said the formal investigation of the accident will begin Wednesday. According to Abbott, investigators will look at the mine's roof control plan, as well as physical and geological conditions in the mine. He indicated that the investigation could take four weeks or longer to complete.
Reports indicate the LJ's Coal Corp. mine received about eight citations in January, but Abbott said the violations were corrected and none appear to be related directly to the roof collapse.
The rock fall was Virginia's worst mining accident since 1983 when seven Clinchfield Coal Co. workers were killed by an underground explosion in Dickenson County.
Workers milled about in the snow outside the entrance to the mine Friday, but none wanted to talk about the accident.
"These are not just men who worked for us, they were our friends," LJ's Vice President Paul Dean said. "We're all pretty tore up."
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB