US EditionA flood inside a coal mine in West Virginia has trapped a coal miner inside
Crews pump out 6,000 gallons of water per minute using dive teams and drones to rescue a miner trapped nearly a mile inside the flooded Rolling Thunder coal mine.
- Saturday a miner became trapped after a crew struck an unknown water pocket roughly three-quarters of a mile into the Rolling Thunder mine, Nicholas County near Drennen, about 50 miles east of Charleston, while emergency crews race to locate him.
- Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the flooding began after an old mine wall was compromised, and a February report by Marshall Miller & Associates found `no significant hydrologic concerns`, a finding now under scrutiny.
- Responders are using pumps and specialized underwater technology, drilling holes and deploying dive teams while visibility and unstable conditions complicate the effort.
- Multiple state agencies including the Office of Miners' Health, Safety, and Training are coordinating with local teams, and Alpha said it was `fully cooperating` while Nicholas County residents offer meals and housing.
- As work entered a fifth day Wednesday, crews had no timeline to reach the flooded area while officials noted the 1968 Hominy Falls tunneling flood, the Quecreek 2002 rescue of nine miners, and that four of six U.S. coal-mine deaths this year occurred in West Virginia.
65 Articles
65 Articles
Missing miner around 3,600 feet underground still not located, West Virginia Governor says efforts are around the clock
DRENNEN, W.Va. (WOWK) — West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey provided an update Monday evening on the efforts of emergency crews working to rescue a mine worker that was trapped at the Rolling Thunder Mine in Nicholas County on Saturday. The mine worker, who officials say has 20 years of experience, was trapped after miners struck [...]
Search continues for miner trapped inside flooded mine in WV, governor calling in national experts
Rescue crews are working to find a miner trapped inside Alpha Metallurgical Resources' Rolling Thunder mine in Nicholas County, West Virginia, after water flooded the mine Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Leslie Rubin/WCHS)A massive search operation is underway for a coal miner who was trapped after water flooded a Nicholas County, West Virginia mine over the weekend. Rescue crews continue to focus on removing the water as quickly as p…
Underwater Drone Deployed to Reach Trapped Miner in Flooded West Virginia Coal Mine – Knowhere News
Drennen, WV — Emergency crews are racing against time to locate a trapped miner deep inside a flooded section of the Rolling Thunder coal mine in Nicholas County. Officials said rescuers planned to deploy an underwater drone on Sunday in hopes of reaching the worker, who has been missing since a water pocket burst inside the mine. Sudden Flooding After Wall Collapse According to Nicholas County Commissioner Garrett Cole, the flooding began Satur…
Update: Dive teams enter mine twice in search for missing Nicholas County coal miner
Emergency responders were hoping to use an underwater dron, on Nov. 9, 2025, to reach a miner trapped deep inside a flooded Nicholas County coal mine, authorities said. A mining crew hit an unknown pocket of water on Nov. 8, 2025, about three-quarters of a mile into the Rolling Thunder mine near Drennen, Nicholas County, Nicholas County Commissioner Garrett Cole said in a Facebook post.
Associated Press News
A flood inside a coal mine in West Virginia has trapped a coal miner inside
State and local official say a flood inside an underground West Virginia coal mine has trapped a miner inside, and rescue crews have been pumping water out to get to him.
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