One man is dead and another is missing after a structure collapsed at a coal preparation plant in eastern Kentucky Tuesday evening.
Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed the death Wednesday morning. “Kentucky, we have some tough news to share from Martin County,” he said the, formerly Twitter. “At least one of the workers trapped inside the collapsed coal preparation plant has died. Please pray for this person’s family and loved ones. The man has not been identified.
The structure, an 11-story coal dump used to load coal for transportation, was being dismantled by two workers when it collapsed around 6:30 p.m., reported The mountain citizen, a Martin County newspaper. The men were on the ground floor and were buried under tons of rubble.
Rescuers said they came into contact with a trapped man, but were not in contact. able to free him. “Unfortunately, the man who was speaking with us recently passed away,” said Martin County Sheriff John Kirk. told reporters Wednesday morning.
He said the other worker had not been found and a search was underway.
Sheriff Kirk told the Mountain Citizen the effort could take days. Authorities would not speculate on the cause of the collapse. The factory had not been used for several years.
“They all have one goal and they’re all risking their lives,” Sheriff Kirk said of the rescuers. “Unless you see for yourself what the scene involves, you cannot understand the danger this replay represents.”
“There is a lot of rubble; in a coal preparation plant, you have steel and concrete,” Sheriff Kirk said in an interview. broadcast on WSAZ news. “The building collapsed all around them.”
Mr. Beshear declared a state of emergency in the county on Wednesday. The order will mobilize state resources to assist in rescue efforts.