10 More of the Most Horrifying Disasters That Ever Happened In West Virginia
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Katherine
Author
West Virginians are no strangers to tragedy. The coal mines, while they brought us jobs and prosperity earlier in our history, also were the sources of many disasters and the loss of many lives. We could fill a whole list with only coal mining disasters, so this is not a definitive list. We already brought you a list of seven disasters that shook the Mountain State; here are 10 more.
In 1968, 25 miners were trapped in this Nicholas County mine. Twenty-one were rescued, but four died.
A cooling tower that was under construction in Pleasants County collapsed on April 27, 1978. It caused the scaffolding to collapse, killing 51 construction workers.
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18 coal miners lost their lives because of a mining disaster in Logan County on March 8, 1960.
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Feb. 26, 1972 was a dark day in West Virginia and Logan County history. Heavy rains caused a coal slurry impoundment dam to burst, flooding the Buffalo Creek hollow. Just minutes later, 125 people were dead, 1,100 were injured and 4,000 people were left homeless.
This Dec.6 , 1907 event has been described as the worst mining disaster in American history. 367 miners lost their lives when an explosion occurred at the Fairmont Coal Company’s No. 6 and No. 8 mines.
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On March 2, 1915, an explosion killed 112 miners in this Fayette County mine.
78 people died in the Marion County mine disaster in 1968.
Shinnston saw the most damage from this tornado that ripped through West Virginia on June 23, 1944. Sixty-six people in Shinnston died. In all, 103 died and 430 were seriously injured.
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Thirteen miners were trapped in this December 2006 mine disaster, but one survived. It got much attention because of a miscommunication that caused several major media outlets to wrongly report that 12 miners were found alive.
119 miners died in an explosion in this mine in Marshall County, W.Va. There were no survivors.
These are just a few of the disasters that have occurred in West Virginia’s history. Let’s hope that the saddest parts of our story are behind us and let’s never forget those who have lost their lives.
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