Rescue Crews Called to Ky. Mine Collapse

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Rescue crews were called to a coal mine in eastern Kentucky after a roof collapsed Tuesday, possibly trapping one miner, a state official said.

The rock fall occurred about 900 feet inside the Maverick Mining Co. LLC mine in Pikeville, near the Virginia line, said Chuck Wolfe, spokesman for the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing.

“One individual is thought to be involved, but we don’t know the nature of that involvement … and don’t really want to speculate on anything,” he said.

The condition of the person in the mine was “uncertain,” according to Suzy Bohnert, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. She said federal officials were on the scene.

Wolfe said a nine-person rescue crew was sent to the mine when the accident was reported shortly after 3 p.m. EST.

A person who answered the phone at Maverick Mining in Pikeville declined comment.

Last week, 12 miners died after an explosion in a coal mine in West Virginia.