Seven miners have been pulled from Hecla Mining’s Lucky Friday mine after a collapse Wednesday evening.
Media reports say that six of the workers were treated at the scene while a seventh was treated at hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The miners were injured by a rock burst over a mile underground at about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday.
The silver-lead-zinc mine in northern Idaho is one of the deepest underground mines in the US.
Two miners have died in separate incidents at the same mine this year. The latest in November involved two contractors who were buried in rubble trying to dislodge a jammed rock bin. One was hospitalized and released while the other, 26-year-old Brandon Lloyd Gray, passed away.
A roof collapse more than a mile underground killed a 53-year-old employee in April.
The mine received four citations following the first accident and is facing nearly $1 million in penalties reported AP:
The investigation report cited Lucky Friday management for failing to install adequate ground support systems and neglecting to test the stability of the area where the collapse that killed (Larry) Marek occurred.
2 Comments
Dav1942
I have worked at/in the mine in question and many others in the ‘Silver Valley’ in North Idaho! Over all it is one of the safer mines in the USA. Our chosen type of work is one of the most dangerous in the whole world and there will be accidents, not ‘IF’ but “WHEN” they will happen. So the best that you can do is pray for yourself and your fellow miners who work in the “BLACK HELL” every day to bring up all of the natural recorces that enable the rest of you to enjoy a better life……… Thank You, ‘The Mafia Man’ A ‘Hard Rock Miner’ from Spirit Lake, Idaho, USA. (@51 years on the job under ground Mines — Retired)
Mcinnes
I am an Underground Miner with over 40 years working in the mines across Canada and in different parts of the World……..My advice to the miners is listen to the rock and most time it will talk to you…….My heart goes out to people who have lost loved ones in the mine……..You have to understand that we are a breed apart from the rest of society and we choose to do this work and understand the risks involved, I guess you could say that we are a dying breed and free spirits. Cheers to the men of the deep and Bravo.