At least 25 dead in Montcoal, West Virginia coal mine

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via MSNBC’s @BreakingNews. From WSAZ. Subsequent reporting indicates up to 25 dead with 4 still unaccounted for:

It is a worst nightmare for families of coal miners. An explosion has been reported at a mine in Raleigh County. Dispatchers tell WSAZ.com this all happened around 4:30 Monday afternoon at Performance Coal Company’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal. That’s near Whitesville along the Boone- Raleigh county line.

Performance Coal is a subsidiary of Massey Energy. A spokesperson for Massey says that there was an explosion at the mine and miners are trapped underground. The company says mine rescue teams along with MSHA and state investigators are heading to the scene.