Officials say one worker was killed when a stone mine in southwest Pennsylvania collapsed on Friday.
According to the Pennsylvania DEP, the Laurel Aggregates Lake Lynn mine’s roof in Springhill Township fell Friday afternoon, trapping a miner.
The employee of the Pennsylvania DEP was declared deceased at the site late Friday night after being dragged from the rubble.
According to the agency, “DEP believes this was caused by a portion of the mine roof falling onto equipment that the individual was working in.”
The name of the deceased and other details have not been revealed yet.
According to authorities, a Pennsylvania DEP’s Mine Safety rescue team and the mine operator worked together to clear loose rock so that equipment could be accessed.
The Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department along with a mine rescue team extricated the miner soon after 11:00 p.m. local time, according to the Pennsylvania DEP.
It was reported that the American Red Cross was on site to give mental health services and assistance for anyone who needed them.
The fall of the roof is being investigated by the Pennsylvania DEP, the state’s safety regulator for non-coal underground mines.
WTAE has obtained a statement from Laurel Aggregates, a sandstone and limestone mining firm in Lake Lynn: “At this time, we are focused on responding to an emergency incident at our Lake Lynn, Pennsylvania aggregate facility. The safety of our employees is our number one priority. More information will be shared when appropriate.”
