3 Die in Mine Accident

UPDATE --- 4:00 P.M. Three employees of an Evansville Construction company were killed in an accident at a Coal mine near Princeton, Indiana. Frontier-Kemper Contractors is building a new vertical air shaft at the Gibson County coal mine. A company spokesmen told FOX 7 that the three men fell some 500 feet from a bucket used transport people up and down the 600-foot shaft. It happened about 11 this morning. No word yet on what caused them to fall. Princeton Police say there was not a cave-in or an explosion. The names are being withheld until their relatives can be notified. Fox 7 has several crews on the scene. Will will have live report on fox 7 news at 6, 6-30 and 9. EARLIER REPORT: Fox News has confirmed that three workers were killed in the accident. Fox 7 News has learned that there has been an accident at Gibson County Coal in Princeton, Indiana. Dispatch has confirmed that emergency crews have been sent to the mine located on Lyle Station Road at about 10-45 this morning. Fox 7 has also received several calls regarding the accident. No details about what happened or any injuries are being released at this time. We did contact the mine, officials there had no comment. We do have a crew in Princeton and will bring you any updates during this newscast and throughout the day on-air and on-line at tri-state-home-page-dot-com as they become available. United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts issued a statement saying hearts and prayers go out to the workers who lost their lives in this tragic event and to their families." He also said "The UMWA stands ready to lend any form of assistance that may be required during this very difficult time" Roberts further stated the mine disasters that have taken place this week serve as stark reminders that safety concerns must always be made to the highest priority in this hazardous line of work. Earlier Reports: (Princeton, IN) -- An accident at a mine in far southwestern Indiana today is the first fatal incident at the facility since 2001. According to records from the federal Mine, Safety and Health Administration, the Gibson County Coal facility near Princeton, Indiana last had a fatal accident in November of 2001. Federal records show that a mine worker named Strail Creech was killed when he was pinned between a wall and a drilling machine. The federal investigation was unable to reach an exact cause of the accident, but said a consensus was reached that Creech may have accidentally activated a remote control used to control the machine and pinned himself against the wall. Three contractors were killed at the mine today in an apparent accident in an air shaft. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-08-10-07 1401CDT RNS-IN-gibson-mine 3rd Ld 08-10 0045 Accident summary 2007 (Princeton, IN) So far in 2007 there have been 29 reportable accidents at the Gibson County Mine, with just three of them resulting in serious injury. Two involved head injuries or concussions and days-off for the injured miner, and another was for an injured foot. More than half of the incidents involved roof-falls. (Copyright 2007 Newsroom Solutions, LLC) Delivered by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service RNS-08-10-07 1258CDT Three Dead In Indiana Mine Accident (Princeton, IN) -- Three people are dead in a mine accident in Princeton, Indiana. According to CNN, police say there was not an explosion, and crews are trying to retrieve the bodies of those killed. Mike Hurt, from the Princeton police department said the accident happened around 11:00 a.m., local time and authorities arent sure if it was caused by an equipment problem or something else. A firefighter has called it a collapse. The accident is under investigation at the construction site near the Gibson County Coal facility. Hurt said emergency crews are on the scene in the town of 85-hundred residents about 26 miles from Evansville. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service) RNS-08-10-07 1233CDT Three miners dead in coal accident URGENT (Princeton, IN) Police in Princeton, IN confirm that three miners are dead after an accident of some kind at the Gibson Coal company. Authorities first got word of trouble at 10:45 a.m. CDT. There is no word on what caused the deaths and whether or not there was an explosion. (Copyright 2007 Newsroom Solutions, LLC) Delivered by Newsroom Solutions/Regional News Service RNS-08-10-07 1218CDT