2 Dead In Ohio Mine Collapse

The roof of a coal mine in Southeast Ohio collapsed Friday, killing two miners and injuring several others, the mining company and authorities said.

Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy Andrea Smith said six other workers had been located inside the Powhatan Number Four mine, which is in the process of being closed. All miners were accounted for.

She said an undetermined number had been injured and were being treated by rescue teams. Smith said one person was taken to a West Virginia hospital with severe shoulder injuries.

Tom Hoffman, a vice president for Consol Energy in Pittsburgh, the parent company of Consolidation Coal Co., said eight people were working underground when the roof collapsed about 2 p.m., but not all were near the site of the accident.

"We're talking about a very small portion that was involved, he said, though he did not have specifics.

He said authorities had not determined what caused the collapse.

Diana Bridges a spokeswoman for the Wetzel County Hospital in New Martinsville, W.Va., confirmed at least two miners were being treated at the hospital.

Consol stopped mining coal in March, but has had small crew on duty since then to ship the remaining inventory and to close the mine.

The mine was one of the state's largest, mining about three million tons of coal a year when it was open.

Thirty-four people now work at the mine, which was established in 1971.

Clarington is in southeast Ohio, about 22 miles south of Wheeling, W.V.