What happened at the Massey Energy mine in 2010?

What happened at the Massey Energy mine in 2010?

The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on April 5, 2010 roughly 1,000 feet (300 m) underground in Raleigh County, West Virginia at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch coal mine located in Montcoal. Twenty-nine out of thirty-one miners at the site were killed. The coal dust explosion occurred at 3:27 pm.

Is Massey still in business?

Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia….Massey Energy.

Who died in Upper Big Branch mine?

Monday marks 11 years since the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster in Raleigh County, West Virginia, where 29 miners were killed on April 5, 2010. Federal mine safety investigators determined that a buildup of methane gas and coal dust led to the explosion at the Massey Energy-owned mine.

Who bought Massey Energy?

Alpha Natural Resources
NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Alpha Natural Resources said on Saturday it agreed to a $7.1 billion deal to buy Massey Energy Co, which was rocked by a deadly coal mining accident last year.

How many mining employees died in mining accidents in Kentucky were killed in the first quarter of 2020?

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Five miners died in U.S. coal mines in 2020, an all-time low mark for an industry in a year that saw continuing declines in production as electric providers move away from burning coal.

What caused the Upper Big Branch mine disaster?

Blankenship Documentary Blames MSHA for Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster. A freak release of natural gas triggered the April 5, 2010, explosion that killed 29 workers at the Upper Big Branch Mine, according to a documentary commissioned by former Massey Energy Co. CEO Don Blankenship.

What happens in a coal mine explosion?

Explosions happen when the methane comes in contact with a heat source. The combustion process causes air inside the mine to expand which can create a shock wave. The most common method to control methane levels in coal mines is ventilation. Methane levels in coal mines are supposed to be kept below 1 percent.