A frantic rescue mission has been launched to save two Kentucky coal workers who are trapped under a pile of rubble at a plant they had been demolishing that collapsed on them.
Officials in Martin County, Kentucky, confirmed two men are trapped following a building collapse near Wolf Creek.
One of the men has been contacted by rescue crews and is confirmed to be alive, while they have been unable to reach the other worker, they are still treating it as a rescue mission.
According to WYMT, the sheriff’s office had been dispatched to the area at 6:30pm on Tuesday.
First responders followed and arrived to find a more than 10-story coal preparation plant had collapsed while the pair were working inside, preparing it for demolition.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk told the outlet: ‘This coal preparation plant has been out of commission for a while- for several years.
‘It’s my understanding that the coal company sold it for basically scrap. And they were salvaging what they could out of it.’
The Sheriff said that this particular project had been ongoing for nearly 8 months, but something out of the ordinary happened on Tuesday.
Sheriff Kirk continued: ‘They typically take these down in sections. They fall them- you know, cut torch and fall them in section.
‘We believe that’s what happened. That it just didn’t fall the way they had projected it to fall and it actually closed around them.’
The Sheriff told WYMT that the men had been working on the bottom floor of the plant when the building collapsed, trapping them underneath tons of rubble.
Sheriff Kirk added that they had been able to locate one of the workers and had been talking to him as the rescue mission got underway.
According to Mountain Citizen, the man they communicated with remained trapped under steel, concrete and debris from the waist down as of last night.
He added: ‘We’ve been able to locate one of them and talk with him. Rescue efforts are underway now. We have multiple agencies down there.
‘We’ve got several rescuers inside of the rubble trying to free him. We’re not really equipped for this type of disaster.’
The Pikeville Fire Department was the first to locate one of the workers, while the other has not yet been located.
Sheriff Kirk continued: ‘This is a lot of weight. A lot of large metal structures, a lot of concrete, and very confined space last. Very tight spaces.
‘Any time you put a rescuer in that situation, you’re putting in putting his life in danger.
‘You kinda feel helpless that you can’t do more, that you can’t for it faster. But this is not a fast process. It’s a very slow process in order to try to keep everybody safe.
He said hope and help is all the area can really count on right now, and has asked people to pray for everyone involved in the mission.
Early on Wednesday Morning, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced he had signed an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency.
Gov. Beshear said: ‘I have signed an Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency in Martin County following the collapse of a coal preparation plant.
‘Two workers are trapped inside and a number of teams are working to rescue these individuals.
‘The Order mobilizes state resources to help. Kentucky, please join Britainy and me in praying for their safety and for the brave teams working to rescue them. We will share more information as available.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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