BELL COUNTY, Ky. — After 14 hours trapped underground in a flooded Kentucky coal mine, three workers were successfully rescued late Monday.
The three became trapped due to “an inundation of water” inside the Jellico #1 mine in Bell County about 6:40am, said Amy Louviere, a spokeswoman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
“Around 8:25pm, all three trapped miners emerged from underground,” she confirmed in a statement to NewsCore. “They appear to be uninjured but will be taken to a local hospital as a precaution.”
Dick Brown, a spokesman for the state Energy and Environment Cabinet, named the trio as Russell Asher, Doug Warren and Parnell Witherspoon.
The men went to a high elevation point in the mine, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Knoxville, Tenn., while rescuers began to pump water from the mine.
The miners were able to speak to family and mining officials using an emergency telephone line while they were trapped.
The mine is owned by Bell County Coal Corporation, which is a subsidiary of James River Coal, Brown said.
The Kentucky Herald-Leader reported that the worst flooding in 20 years had been reported in Bell County, while flash floods in nearby Knox County had killed one person and injured another while dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.
One person was also missing in the wake of Monday morning’s flooding, according to Knox County Sheriff John Pinkard.