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2 Coal Miners Killed in Kentucky Mine Collapse Accident

May 19, 2010 - The bodies of two miners were found by rescue workers after a fatal coal mining accident at the Dotiki Mine in Western Kentucky on April 28. The roof collapse accident occurred about 4 miles from the mine's entrance.

According to reports from The Associated Press, the two miners who were killed after a roof collapsed in the underground coal mine have been identified as Justin Travis, 27, and Michael Carter, 28.

State and federal records show that this particular mine had a history of safety concerns, and was issued 31 orders by the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing since January 2009 to close sections of the mine or shut down equipment because of safety violations. An additional 44 citations were also issued for safety violations unrelated to closure orders.

During the same time frame, the mine was cited 840 times by federal inspectors for safety violations with 11 closure orders issued. 214 of those citations were issued within the first 4 months of 2010.

Rescue workers had hoped they would find at least one of the trapped miners alive, but an earlier rescue attempt had to be abandoned when the roof became unstable.

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