West Virginia Coal Mine Disaster
Ben Somberg
April 6, 2010
Twenty-five people have been killed in the coal mine disaster in West Virginia.
At ABC News, Matthew Mosk and Asa Eslocker report on the safety history of the Upper Big Branch mine:
The West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 25 workers and left another four unaccounted for in the worst mining disaster since 1984 had amassed scores of citations from mining safety officials, including 57 infractions just last month for violations that included repeatedly failing to develop and follow a ventilation plan.
The Charleston Gazette's Ken Ward Jr. runs down what to look for in the coming days and says the disaster could prove a "test of whether the MINER Act reforms went far enough." The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe notes a report from a few days ago by the Labor Department's Office of the Inspector General on inadequate training for mine safety inspectors. AP has a list of fatal mine disasters in the United States in the past decades.
