The bodies of six men killed in a coal mine explosion in Colombia are recovered. (ABC News)
ABC News →The bodies of six men killed in a coal mine explosion in Colombia are recovered.
10 MEN TRAPPED IN OHIO COAL MINE; Bodies of Six Victims Are Recovered; Explosion Caused by Miner Lighting Match.
AMSTERDAM, Ohio, April 22.—The bodies of six miners were recovered this morning from the Amsterdam mine of the Youghiogheny Ohio Coal Co. where 18 men were trapped last night by an explosion of gas followed by fire. The other twelve have not been rescued. The night shift of 24 men were working in the mine when the explosion occurred. It was known that there was gas in the mine and the men were ordered to take extra precautions. The belief is that a miner's lamp went out and that, contrary to orders, he struck a match to relight it. The explosion awoke the whole village and a sheet of flame belched from the mine. Miners working between the explosion and the opening of the mine were blown out to the tipple, where they fell unconscious. Several were badly burned. Fire prevented eager rescuers from making a descent, but the men formed a fire brigade and fought the blaze for several hours. Wives and children of the imprisoned miners joined the crowd and force was employed to prevent panic.
Original Newspaper Page
What Happened Next
Federal Mines Safety Act of 1910
Federal Mines Safety Act of 1910 was a United States statute passed for the purposes of establishing the United States Bureau of Mines as a federal agency of the United States Department of the Interior. The Act of Congress authorized investigations of mining methods with an emphasis regarding the safety of miners while recovering combustible fossil fuels and confronting occupational dust exposure.
Wikipedia →Farmington Mine disaster
The Farmington Mine disaster was an explosion that happened at approximately 5:30 a.m. on November 20, 1968, at the Consol No. 9 coal mine north of Farmington and Mannington, West Virginia, United States. At the time, 99 miners were inside. All who were unable to escape perished; the bodies of 19 of the dead were never recovered.
Wikipedia →Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, U.S. Public Law 91-173, generally referred to as the Coal Act, was passed by the 91st United States Congressional session and enacted into law by the 37th President of the United States Richard Nixon on December 30, 1969. The S. 2917 legislation created the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration (MESA), later renamed the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), as well as a National Mine Map Repository, within the Department of the Interior.
Wikipedia →Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on April 5, 2010, roughly 1,000 feet (300 m) underground in Raleigh County, West Virginia at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine located in Montcoal. 29 miners were killed in the explosion, and 3 were injured. The incident was the worst in the United States since 1970, when 38 miners were killed at Finley Coal Company's No. 15 and 16 mines in Hyden, Kentucky.
Wikipedia →