Miner crushed to death between heavy equipment, coal block at W.Va. mine owned by ICG

Coal miner crushed to death at W.Va. mine

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia officials say a miner has died after being crushed between a piece of heavy equipment and a block of coal.

State mine office spokeswoman Jama Jarrett says the 28-year-old man died late Friday morning in surgery after the accident late Thursday night.

Jarrett says state investigators are at International Coal Group’s Beckley mining complex in Raleigh County.

ICG says the mine was idled Friday out of respect to the victim and his family. The company says its officials are working with state and federal regulators on the investigation.

The accident comes less than a month after 29 West Virginia miners died in an explosion at a Massey Energy Co. mine. It was the nation’s worst coal mining disaster in 40 years.