US Labor Departments MSHA notified of roof collapse at Dotiki Mine in Hopkins County, Ky.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesperson Amy Louviere today issued the following statement regarding a roof collapse at Dotiki Mine in Hopkins County, Ky.:

"On April 28, at approximately 10:40 p.m. CDT, MSHA received word of a roof collapse at the Dotiki Mine in Hopkins County, Ky. Dotiki is operated by Webster County Coal LLC and owned by Alliance Resource Partners LP.

"Two miners are unaccounted for and efforts to contact them have been unsuccessful. MSHA personnel began arriving at the mine at 11:15 p.m.

"Rescue personnel entered the mine beginning around 11:30 p.m. and traveled approximately four miles by conveyance to the area where the miners are trapped. Rescue efforts, which include stabilizing the roof and loading out debris, had to be halted around 4:50 a.m. due to adverse roof conditions. These efforts resumed after the roof was stabilized.

"MSHA personnel on site include the district manager, the assistant district manager, a family liaison, a roof control supervisor and a roof control specialist. Representatives from the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing also are on site."

Additional information about the mine: The Dotiki Mine's identification number is 15-02132. It has 367 employees and an average daily production of 25,500 tons. The mine has a seam height average of 60 inches and three shifts (two production and one maintenance).