MARTIN COUNTY, Ky. — A second of two workers have died after they were trapped Tuesday night following the collapse of a coal preparation plant in eastern Kentucky, officials say.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed Friday that the second worker who was trapped under a coal min preparation plant that collapsed earlier in the week had died, according to The Associated Press.
Both men were trapped under rubble at the Martin Mine Prep Plant in Martin County, according to the AP. An abandoned 11-story building collapsed Tuesday and both men were there getting work done in preparation for the demolition of the building when it collapsed.
The men were identified by officials as Alvin Nees and Billy Ray “Bo” Daniels, according to WSAZ.
Daniels was located alive but on Wednesday it was learned that he had died during rescue efforts, the AP reported. It took crews days to locate Nees.
“I am sad to report that the second worker trapped inside the collapsed coal preparation plant in Martin County has died. This is a heartbreaking situation and I hope everyone will join Britainy and me in praying for the families of these two workers and this entire community,” Beshear said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
I am sad to report that the second worker trapped inside the collapsed coal preparation plant in Martin County has died. This is a heartbreaking situation and I hope everyone will join Britainy and me in praying for the families of these two workers and this entire community. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) November 3, 2023
“We knew going in this was a very, very difficult situation,” Martin County Judge-Executive Lon Lafferty said in a news conference Friday, according to WSAZ. “This is not the outcome we had hoped for.”
The men’s bodies will be taken to the medical examiner’s office in Frankfort, the news station reported.
Director of Kentucky Emergency Management Col. Jeremy Slinker said Friday that the collapse was the largest structural collapse in the history of Kentucky, the AP reported.
“We recognize how large of an operation and how unique this is — especially for rural Kentucky — because it’s just not what you think of when you think of large structural collapses,” he said.
