Body of Alpha mine foreman recovered from flooded Rolling Thunder operation

The body of a West Virginia coal miner missing since a weekend flood inside the Rolling Thunder operation was recovered after five days of recovery efforts.

Governor Patrick Morrisey identified the worker as 42-year-old Steve Lipscomb of Elkview–the foreman on duty when Saturday’s accident took place when a crew hit a pocket of water, causing an old support wall to collapse. Morrisey said the miner was found just before 8 am Thursday morning.

The mine is owned by Bristol-based Alpha Metallurgical Resources and CEO Andy Eidson praised Lipscomb for his heroic efforts during the disaster, making sure that his workers got to safety.

Federal mine safety data shows Lipscomb’s death is the third fatality reported at an Alpha-operated mine this year.

(IMAGE: Royalty-free image from Pexels / tunaolger)