1 person killed in Pennsylvania mine collapse

SPRINGHILL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — One person was killed after a mine collapsed in southwestern Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, officials said.

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The collapse was reported after 3 p.m. EST at Laurel Aggregates’ Lake Lynn mine in Springhill Township, WPXI-TV reported.

According to officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, crews worked to remove loose rock and were able to remove the person almost eight hours after the mine collapse.

The person, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the Fayette County mine shortly after 11 p.m. EST, DEP spokesperson Lauen Fraley told reporters.

Officials said they believe the person was working inside equipment when a portion of the mine roof fell, Fraley told The Associated Press.

Jeff Eller, a spokesperson for Arcosa, a construction engineering company that owns the mine, said in a statement Saturday that the company extended “our deepest sympathies.”

“We are deeply saddened to confirm a fatality has occurred as a result of an accident at the Laurel Aggregates mine,” Eller said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the employee’s family and friends. Arcosa is cooperating with the Mine Safety and Health Administration along with local authorities to investigate the cause of this accident.”

The DEP “will issue a preliminary action report with general findings and a final report with its full determination of the cause and potential corrective measures required of the mine operator to ensure that this type of situation does not happen again,” Fraley said.

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