Crews Searching for Miner After Roof Collapses

March 21, 2022 3:20 pm

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Crews are searching for a Kentucky miner who was working alone when a roof collapsed deep underground. A statement from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet says 33-year-old James D. Brown of Lynch began his shift as a roof bolter operator late Sunday. It says the collapse happened about a half hour later, about 14,000 feet down into the coal mine. The D-29 Darby Fork mine in Harlan County is owned by Inmet Mining LLC, of Knoxville, Tennessee. The statement says the Kentucky Division of Mine Safety sent investigators early Monday to the mine, which has suspended operations while the search continues.