The United States has experienced its worst underground mine disaster since 1984, with at least 25 miners having been killed, and four still unaccounted for. The search continues but hopes are fading of finding any survivors.
This latest disaster has occurred in the West Virginia mine owned by the Massey Energy Company. A huge explosion occurred around 3pm local time, and rescuers have so far located 25 bodies, with four people still unaccounted for.
The mine, 30 miles south of the state capital, Charleston, reportedly has a history of safety violations. And some are suggesting that a disaster of this scale was just a matter of time.
Mine disasters are sadly quite a regular occurrence, because mining is an inherently dangerous activity, despite the improvements to safety introduced over the last century. And this one looks like being the worst since 1984, when 27 miners died in Utah.
