Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declares an emergency in Martin County following the collapse of a coal plant.
After a Kentucky coal plant collapsed with them inside, one worker died and another remained trapped Wednesday.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that at least one of the workers trapped inside the Martin County coal processing plant had died.
“Please pray for this individual’s family and loved ones,” he wrote, without elaborating.
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, WSAZ/WKYT confirmed one death.
Beshear issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Martin County early Wednesday, following the collapse of a coal processing plant.
“Two workers are trapped inside, and a number of teams are working to rescue these individuals,” Beshear previously stated on X. “The Order mobilizes state resources to help.”
“Kentucky, please join Britainy and me in praying for their safety and the brave rescue teams.” “We will share additional information as it becomes available,” the Democratic governor added.
Beshear subsequently tweeted, “Kentucky, keep praying — but the scene is bad and we should be prepared for tough news out of Martin County.”
“We are monitoring the news out of Martin County,” Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron posted on X. A coal preparation factory has collapsed, prompting rescue efforts. We invite Kentucky residents to join us in praying for the two trapped workers. We continue to pray for our heroic First Responders as they continue to rescue people.”
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office was called at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and arrived about 10 minutes later to find a 10-story coal processing factory had collapsed while two workers were inside, according to WYMT.
“This coal preparation plant has been out of commission for quite a while, several years,” Martin County Sheriff John Kirk told the publication. “From what I understand, the coal company sold it for scrap.”
The structure fell while the two men were on the bottom floor, trapping them beneath loads of rubble, according to Kirk. While the Pikeville Fire Department was the first to reach one of the workers, responders from many agencies did not initially contact the second, and the arduous rescue effort is expected to last days.
“We were able to track down one of them and speak with him. Rescue efforts are now ongoing. “We have a number of agencies down there,” Kirk explained. “We’ve got several rescuers inside of the rubble trying to free him.”
“We’re not really equipped for this type of disaster,” he said. “This is a substantial amount of weight.” Last, a lot of massive metal structures, a lot of concrete, and a lot of limited space. Very small spaces. When you place a rescuer in such circumstance, you are putting his life in peril.”
“You feel helpless that you can’t do more, that you can’t make it happen faster, but this is not a quick process.” To keep everyone safe, the process is extremely sluggish. “This is a rescue mission,” remarked the sheriff. “If you’re going to pray, pray for these people.” Please pray for the victims and their families. “Please pray for the first responders.”
