Jackie Lee Toler, 53, was killed on or around a continuous mining machine—which is used to remove coal from the coal face underground and load it on a conveyor belt—at Mystic LLC’s Candice No. 2 mine near Wharton in Boone County, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The mine is organized by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).

Robert Runyon, 48, the second miner to perish on the job last week, was operating a locomotive at the Jacob No. 1 mine near Naugatuck in Mingo County, when rock and roof-support materials fell on him. Runyon was employed by a contractor at the mine, which is nonunion. Federal inspectors have given 14 citations for safety violations to this mine since February.

UMWA president Cecil Roberts said that the latest deaths bring to 46 the number of miners killed since Feb. 1, 2005. On the eve of the union’s convention, which is taking place April 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Roberts called on the government to “strengthen laws, regulations and oversight” of coal mines.

Federal officials have told a U.S. attorney that they believe criminal conduct was involved in the January fire on the coal conveyor belt at Massey Energy’s Alma mine in Logan County, West Virginia, where two miners were killed. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had earlier reported that federal inspectors had found two walls missing after the fire. The walls were to separate the belt tunnel from fresh air coming into the mine. The two miners died from carbon monoxide poisoning after being separated from the rest of their work crew. Freda Hatfield, widow of Ellery Hatfield, one of the miners killed, said, “I talked with the people in the state, but they wouldn’t tell me anything.” The UMWA was not allowed to take part in the investigation at Alma, a nonunion mine.

Commenting on the possibility of criminal charges being filed against Massey, Dell Maynard, a UMWA member who works at the Guyan surface mine, said, “I hope they [federal inspectors] lay it to Massey, they can do better with their safety.”

At a test facility in Pennsylvania, scientists are planning to recreate the January 2 blast at the Sago Mine, where 12 miners were trapped underground after an explosion and subsequently died, reported the April 6 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The aim is to find out why the walls built of Omega foam block that sealed unused portions of the mine where the blast originated were destroyed in the explosion, leading to the death of the miners. The UMWA has opposed the use of Omega block—which is allowed by MSHA—as too flimsy to withstand the pressure of explosions and has insisted that only concrete block be used instead.
 
 
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