01 November 2023 , 13:10
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One coal worker has been confirmed dead following a 10-story plant that collapsed and trapped two men under a huge pile of rubble.
Authorities in Maritn County, Kentucky, confirmed the two men were trapped following the collapse of the Pontiki Prep Plant on Tuesday evening at around 6.30pm. The men were on the bottom floor of the building when it collapsed, trapping them beneath tons of rubble. The other worker remains trapped.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said they were able to find and make contact with one of the two men. Officials didn’t know the extent of their injuries. In a social media post Wednesday morning, Governor Andy Beshear said he had declared a state of emergency in the county — mobilising state resources to help with the rescue.
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Emergency services are trying to rescue two men after a coal plant collapsed on them (WYMT)He said: "I have signed an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency in Martin County following the collapse of a coal preparation plant. Two workers are trapped inside and a number of teams are working to rescue these individuals.
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"The Order mobilises state resources to help. Kentucky, please join Britainy and me in praying for their safety and for the brave teams working to rescue them. We will share more information as available."
In a post around two hours later, Mr Beshear warned: "Kentucky, keep praying - but the scene is bad and we should be prepared for tough news out of Martin County". The workers were trapped under multiple floors of concrete and steel while working to demolish the building at the abandoned mine site on Wolf Creek, Martin County, judge executive Lon E Lafferty said on social media early on Wednesday morning.
The plant hasn’t been in use for several years and the men were salvaging material from the building when it collapsed, Kirk said. The men were on the bottom floor of the building when it collapsed, trapping them beneath tons of rubble, Kirk said.
Crews responded to the incident last night (WYMT)Martin County Sheriff John Kirk told reporters: "This coal preparation plant has been out of commission for a while- for several years. 'It's my understanding that the coal company sold it for basically scrap. And they were salvaging what they could out of it."
The Sheriff said that this particular project had been ongoing for nearly 8 months, until the sudden collapse. Sheriff Kirk continued: "They typically take these down in sections. They fall them- you know, cut torch and fall them in section. We believe that’s what happened. That it just didn’t fall the way they had projected it to fall and it actually closed around them."
Several rescuers were inside the rubble as part of the rescue effort, Kirk said. The rescue could take days, Kirk said. “This is a lot of weight. A lot of large metal structures, a lot of concrete, and very confined space last. Very tight spaces,” he said. "Any time you put a rescuer in that situation, you’re putting in putting his life in danger. You kinda feel helpless that you can’t do more, that you can’t for it faster. But this is not a fast process. It’s a very slow process in order to try to keep everybody safe."