The search is still underway for a coal miner missing since Saturday at the Rolling Thunder Mine in Nicholas County. The underground mine, owned by Alpha Metallurgical Resources and operated by Nicholas-Contura, LLC, has a history of safety violations, according to federal records.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration reports 60 citations and two orders at the site so far this year — 10 of them deemed “significant and substantial.” Eyewitness News said the mine was placed under a federal control order after flooding trapped the miner underground.
Since 2023, inspectors have issued more than 120 citations at Rolling Thunder, with nearly $27,000 in penalties. Rescue operations continue along Twenty Mile Creek Road.