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Fatal Accident Summaries
for 2007
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November 12, 2007
Two Perry County men were found dead in an abandoned mine Sunday night in Harlan County.
Coal officials stress the dangers surrounding abandoned coal mines and why colder weather, can make the risks even higher.
It was sealed off for a reason and watching an ambulance take the bodies of a father and son from the Bullhorn mine is the harsh reality coal and rescue officials say people need to know about.
They say you need to stay away from abandoned coal mines, especially when cooler air settles inside.
Emergency crews say the two men crawled through a hole that had been hand-dug at the opening.
The sealed off opening to Bullhorn Mine includes; concrete block, a lot of rock, and dirt piled up against the opening.
Coal officials say that the thickness of the seal an abandoned mine, all depends on whether the mine will be reopened.
Since the mine just shut down three years ago, the president of Kentucky's Coal Association says there's a good chance the closing was only temporary.
“If temporarily closed, phone lines could have been left inside. People used to search for artifacts like tool boxes and miners hats, today, it's scrap metal,” KCA President Bill K. Caylor said.
State police tell us the victims were last seen at 2 p.m. Saturday.
When they didn't come home a search began.
Sunday, both bodies were found in a mine shaft.
(Source: WKYT)
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