OAKWOOD, Va. (AP) — Officials are investigating the apparent fatal electrocution of a coal mine maintenance supervisor in Buchanan County.
The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy says 41-year-old Michael Junior Justice of Rowe died Wednesday following an incident at CONSOL Energy’s Buchanan Mine No. 1 near Oakwood.
CONSOL officials say a maintenance team was working on a roof bolt machine and Justice was electrically troubleshooting the machine at the time of the accident.
He had been a member of the Buchanan maintenance team for about four years.
The Bristol Herald-Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1q2fyzW) that federal and state authorities were at the scene Wednesday and the investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.
According to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, there have been 26 mine fatalities nationwide this year.
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Information from: Bristol Herald Courier, http://www.bristolnews.com
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