Update
CONSOL held a briefing call for the media Wednesday with the Vice President of Safety at CONSOL Energy, Lou Barletta.
Barletta highlighted the recovery plan for locating the missing CONSOL employee who has been in the Robinson Run Mine slurry pond since Friday, Nov. 30.
CONSOL confirms that a refuse embankment gave way, causing a bulldozer and two pickup trucks and three employees to slide into a slurry pond on the property. It said the embankment remains unstable and continues to shift, creating difficult rescue conditions.
CONSOL has two recovery plans in place to locate the missing employee and will initiate the plans, pending MSHA and state approval. Crews are still working to determine the orientation of the bull dozer in the slurry, and are hopeful to find the man in the cab of the bull dozer.
The miner's name will not be released due to the family's request, Barletta said.
Barletta said longwall mining operations resumed Wednesday at Robinson Run, even while search continues for the miner lost in the slurry impoundment.
Update
MSHA has issued a procedure to begin moving barges out to the recovery location of a miner who has been missing since Friday at the CONSOL Robinson Mine.
Dredging will continue from the shoreline for 50 feet to facilitate movement of the barges to the work location, according to Amy Louviere with MSHA.
A 25-foot illuminated buffer zone will be established from the shore. Anyone within the buffer zone will be required to wear a life jacket and have a spotter.
A certified marine surveyor will confirm the loads of the barges and the barge platform. Various sizes of barge platforms will be at the recovery site and small boats will be used to maneuver the barges.
Update
The Mine Safety and Health Administration's mobile command vehicle has arrived at the slurry pond site of the CONSOL's Robinson Run Mine Monday, according to Amy Louviere with MSHA. The command center will serve as a location for meetings, plan review and video conferencing.
The company continues to evaluate the best method to reach the bull dozer and determine whether it is upright, on its side, or upside down. Crews began dredging the pond at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday to permit barge access. Four barges are currently at the site, according to Louviere.
The Robinson Run mine was idle during the weekend and resumed partial operations at midnight Sunday night. CONSOL hopes to have all 605 employees working at full operations Tuesday, in compliance with the state and federal agencies that govern West Virginia coal operations.
CONSOL said its decision to shift towards full operations at the Robinson Run mine will not interfere with the impending recovery efforts.
Investigation into the cause of the accident will commence on Tuesday morning.
Original story
Emergency crews continued their search Saturday morning for a possible drowning victim at a Harrison County coal mine.
As of 7 p.m. Saturday, crews were able to locate the submerged bulldozer at the Robinson Run Portal Mine, according to CONSOL officials. The dive crew is working to determine the depth of the dozer, will develop a recovery plan and continue searching for the mine employee Sunday morning.
The call came in to 911 from CONSOL's Robinson Run Mine at 12:17 p.m. on Friday. The incident happened near the Robinson Run Portal, which is just outside of Lumberport.
CONSOL Energy canceled the 4:00-Midnight shift while it continued to work with state and federal mining officials on rescue efforts.
CONSOL confirms that a refuse embankment gave way, causing a bulldozer and two pickup trucks and three employees to slide into a slurry pond on the property. It said the embankment remains unstable and continues to shift, creating difficult rescue conditions.
You can see the pond in this aerial view from Google Maps.
Harrison County EMS and HealthNet helicopters were called in.
CONSOL said one employee was transported by ambulance to UHC in Bridgeport and was treated and released.
Another man was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital, in Morgantown. He is in stable condition and was likely kept overnight for observation, according to CONSOL.
Firefighters are still searching for the third employee, according to officials. Crews are draining the pond to find the man, who is still unaccounted for, according to Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.
The DEP has a helicopter trying to locate the dozer, and a boat is probing the bottom with a rod, according to MSHA officials. The last inspection of the facility was Oct. 16 and there were not any violations listed in the report from that inspection, according to Kathy Cosco with the DEP.
The standing water depth of the pond is about 12 feet. A survey team has been brought in to quadrant the area where the dozer is believed to be. A boat with sonar is getting ready to be launched. MSHA personnel are on site, along with company, state and UMWA officials, according to MSHA officials.
Firefighters from Lumberport, Shinnston and Nutter Fort, along with the Harrison County and Monongalia County dive teams, were also called to the scene, according to 911 officials.
The Harrison County Sheriff's department also responded.
State and federal mining officials were notified and are on the scene, CONSOL officials said.
The West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training has been notified and has dispatched investigators to the scene, officials said.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued the following statement Friday night: "Today, four families were shaken by the unexpected but always present danger associated with mining. While we strive to ensure the safety of our coal miners, accidents do occur," Gov. Tomblin said. "Joanne and I pray for the miners and their families. We ask all West Virginias to do the same."
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