Massive safety violations preceded US mine disaster

Apr 7, 2010, 19:21 GMT

Washington - Rescue workers continued Wednesday to drill holes into a West Virginia mine to find survivors as reports surfaced of safety violations in the months leading up to the explosion that killed at least 25 miners.

The Upper Big Branch mine had been warned more than 50 times during March for safety issues, including for failure to prevent a buildup of deadly methane gasses, media reports said.

The mine had to be evacuated three times in recent months due to high methane concentrations, according to The New York Times which quoted two miners who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Two days after the accident, the deadliest in the US in more than 25 years, hope was fading for the missing four miners.

An extra hole was being drilled to help ventilate the mine of poison gas to allow 30 rescuers to search where they believe the four miners could be, officials said in broadcast remarks. Five holes were being drilled in all, including one to lower a monitor to search for signs of life, officials said.

Safety chambers scattered throughout the mine provide oxygen and water for about 96 hours, and officials held out the possibility that the missing miners might be found in one of them.

'The rescue teams are prepared,' said West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin. 'They're charged up, ready to go.'

Monday's powerful blast, heard for miles around, was the worst US mining accident in more than 25 years. An accident in 1984 killed 27 people in the state of Utah.

Seven bodies have been removed from the mine, and another 18 remained in the mine after being confirmed as dead by rescuers who were focussed on finding signs of life.

Manchin has said that 'something went very wrong' to have caused methane to spike and explode, and for miners to have stopped work three other times 'because they were getting unusually high readings.'

 The underground mine is run by Performance Coa, a subsidiary of Massey Energy Co. The incident occurred at the Upper Big Branch Mine near Naoma, West Virginia, about 50 kilometres south of the state capital Charleston.

Over the last 12 years, three workers have been killed in accidents at the mine, which employs about 200 people and produced some 1.2 million tons of coal last year.

A lengthy investigation was expected.