Kentucky Miners Trapped At Armstrong Coal Company's Equality Boot Mine In Ohio County (VIDEO)

Two miners became trapped on Friday after a wall collapsed at the Armstrong Coal Company's Equality Boot Mine, located in Centertown, Ohio County, Kentucky.

UPDATE 2:30pm: 14 News reports: "Armstrong Coal Company tells 14 News that the two miners trapped in Ohio Co. have died."

Kentucky's 14 News writes:

Preliminary reports show that two people employed by a blasting crew drove a truck near a high wall around 6:30 Friday morning.

When the rock fell, it trapped the men in the truck.

The Associated Press reports that rescuers are trying to contact the men who are currently trapped under a rock slide. Crews are working to remove the rubble with machinery, according to Ohio County Emergency Management Director Charles Shields.

14 News reports that rescue workers have reached the truck containing the two miners.

According to NBC News, the identity and condition of the men are not currently available.

Armstrong Coal Company's website describes Equality Boot mine, writing, "Armstrong's newest active mine, is a surface mine located near the city of Centertown in Ohio County, Kentucky that extracts steam coal from the West Kentucky #14, 13, 12 and 11 coal seams."

In June, three workers were trapped in another coal mine in Kentucky. All three were rescued from the mine the same day.

At another mine in Western Kentucky, two miners were killed in April 2010 after a roof collapsed. According to AP, the mine had "a long history of safety problems."

Earlier this week, the former security chief of the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia was convicted of impeding the investigation of the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in decades. Last year, 29 miners were killed by an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine.

Read the updated story here.

WATCH 14 News footage of the first responders:

Comments

[DSAldridge]

11:32 AM on 10/30/2011

My thoughts and prayers go out to their families.

[jesupax]

11:07 AM on 10/30/2011

My roommate is from Ohio County and we live close in Louisville, KY. Accidents happen in dangerous professions. I was a fire department chaplain for many years and safety is at the top of the list but still, unforeseen circumstances occur all the time. My prayers go out to the families and I pray also for all those who serve in dangerous occupations; fire fighters, police officers, service men and woman and all. We often take them for granted. I am sure there will be those quick to blame the Armstrong Coal Company. I do not believe anyone wants a tragedy like this to happen and I hope additional safety is learned from this.

[policy5]

05:36 PM on 10/28/2011

Something needs to be done to make mines safer

[jerryfromcalifornia]

03:43 PM on 10/28/2011

I believe that the posters in this story that have been here today for the fist time are probably paid and should be dismissed.

[APBTLover01]

03:19 PM on 10/28/2011

I hate the end result of this story.....you never think of accidents like this that are not underground. I know accidents can and do happen everywhere. My prayers are with the families.

[bigchaos]

03:18 PM on 10/28/2011

As usual, a site by liberals for liberals. If Huff Post doesn't like your view they dismiss it!

Whole other story when one of their agreeable little puppets calls Republicans all kinds of names.

I was blasting some socialists rant , while God Blessing the miners, and the Head Huff Puffin' Stuff

couldn't handle it.

[cmhfile]

03:09 PM on 10/28/2011

Vote for mine safety. Vote REPUBLICAN

[V-Bottom]

02:48 PM on 10/28/2011

I am to scared to go into a mine of any kind I guess. Big caves I have...RIP brothers. amen

[Radx28]

02:39 PM on 10/28/2011

Mitch put them in there. Maybe he can get them out.

[hannav270]

02:22 PM on 10/28/2011

god bless these miners and all of the men in this country that do this difficult and dangerous job. in fact miners all over the world should be thanked for the job that they do. so from my son and i to all the miners across the world, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU

[smp276dp]

02:12 PM on 10/28/2011

It has come to this. The people that work in these mines should sue the republicans for allowing there saftey measures to erode to nothing. If they think working under these circumstances doesn't require more safety measures then prove it in court. Something has to be done to protect these workers from harm even death.

[dan101t]

02:47 PM on 10/28/2011

Please tell us just what safety rule was violated, and why the republicans were the cause of that rule being removed.

[boogie albert 56]

02:56 PM on 10/28/2011

look up the definition to strip mining. These miners were not underground. If these men drove to close to the wall they were stupid and careless. How do I know this? I am an ex-coal miner, surface and underground. I hope they live to learn this lesson on safety.

[smp276dp]

11:01 PM on 10/28/2011

Yeah but some how they were still in harms way.
Go figure.

[APBTLover01]

12:26 PM on 10/29/2011

These men were not at the top of that pit they were at the bottom and just happened to be at the right spot when that rock fell. And I hate to tell you think they were NOT stupid!

[demisfine]

02:10 PM on 10/28/2011

Only two?
If republicans had their way, there would be way more trapped.
Less regulations, more jobs!!!
I wish the trapped miners well.

[dan101t]

02:51 PM on 10/28/2011

It was an open pit mine, a huge rock fell on the truck they were in. what regulation would have prevented a rock from falling?

Maybe you want to repeal the law of gravity?

[teeniechino]

03:44 PM on 10/28/2011

You know, dan, you could wait and see why the rock fell when it fell. That is an OSHA matter. SMART A.

[teeniechino]

03:51 PM on 10/28/2011

AND a wall collapsed. Shooting off one's mouth before all the facts are out.

[dans5843]

01:52 PM on 10/28/2011

Hey Mitch, you gonna help these guys that are buried alive?

[HarryP]

01:31 PM on 10/28/2011

hope the men are safe and sound -

are repugs and Paul Rand going to blame this on too much regulation?
If you want mine safety - will you vote for a republicn candidate?

[WTxIndependent]

01:24 PM on 10/28/2011

How long 'til conservative blame the collapse on "government regulations" ?

[dans5843]

01:53 PM on 10/28/2011

Or abortions or gay marriage