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Explosions kill 13 at Blue Creek mine Detroit-The coal mine explosions that killed 13 miners at the Blue Creek #5 mine in Alabama last month could have been prevented if the mine owner, Jim Walters Resources, Inc., had heeded the warnings of the coal miners of the deadly accumulations of methane gas that were reported at least a month before the explosions. The first explosion was set off when a rock fall hit a battery charger, creating a spark that ignited the blast that injured six miners. Three of the injured miners were able to get out, and when 10 rescuers went in to save the remaining three miners, a second, more devastating, explosion blasted through the area, killing all 13 miners. It was an eerie reminder of the New York terror attack, when hundreds of firefighters were killed in efforts to save victims of the twin tower tragedy. One of the miners, Mike Boyd, a certified safety specialist whose brother Clarence was killed in the explosion, stated that he had warned the company at a meeting a month earlier of the methane gas danger, but rather than correcting the situation, the company continued production. There were also several recent reports of methane gas flare-ups, always indicators of serious danger. In addition, last year there were five roof and rock falls on miners similar to the fall that caused the explosion at the mine, located about 40 miles west of Birmingham. The company's lack of concern over safety is of long standing. A supervisor of the mine, who had retired in 1987, said that the company ignored warnings of methane gas and sent miners in to work in dangerous conditions when he was there. Federal inspectors are checking the explosion, and if the company is found -Andy Phillips |
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