Updated: Officials identify two Eastern Kentucky workers trapped in coal plant collapse
Rescuers in Martin County found one of the two workers trapped in a collapsed coal plant, but the scene wasn’t safe enough for them to save him before he died, the county sheriff said Thursday.
The two men were identified Thursday by Lon Lafferty, Martin County judge-executive, as Billy Ray “Bo” Daniels and 57-year-old Alvin Nees. Daniels, who was in his late 50s, was confirmed dead Wednesday. Responders haven’t yet been able to recover his body.
Daniels was trapped under a metal beam which had his leg pinned in the rubble, according to Martin County Sheriff John Kirk. Rescuers attempted to free him, but moving the beam caused the rubble pile to shift, which created too much danger for a rescue.
Daniels agreed to an effort to amputate his legs in order to be saved, but he died before surgeons could complete the operation, Kirk said.
“They did everything in their power to save this man’s life,” Kirk said.
Daniels and his wife, Paula Daniels, were able to share messages with one another before he died, Kirk told the Mountain Citizen newspaper in a Wednesday interview.
In a 4:30 p.m. news conference at the site, Lafferty said family members of the two men requested to go to the site, which officials made happen around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s obviously a very trying, a very emotional time for them,” Lafferty said.
Responders will continue their search for Nees Thursday evening, and on Friday morning they’ll shift tactics, Jeremy Slinker, state director of Emergency Management
The site has been cleared for asbestos and searchers have been wearing respirators and N-95 masks to protect themselves from dust, he said.
More equipment arrived at the site Thursday which will allow rescuers to remove large chunks of rubble. All other avenues, including search dogs, cameras on long poles, listening devices and having searchers listen for clues, have been exhausted, Slinker said.
Sheriff: 2nd worker likely survived initial collapse
While it was unclear if Nees — who’s still missing — was alive Thursday afternoon, officials do believe he survived the initial collapse. A witness told Kirk they heard Nees talking and praying. Kirk said they believe they know where Nees is, but he’s underneath multiple stories of concrete and steel.
The rescue efforts for the missing worker in a collapsed coal preparation plant in Martin County are entering a new phase Thursday, officials announced during a 10 a.m. news conference.
Slinker said all preliminary search efforts were exhausted and all the voids and creases in the rubble have been searched. Rescuers will now start removing debris from the pile in hopes of finding the missing worker, or opening up new voids to search.
“We haven’t given up hope, it remains a rescue operation,” said Lon Lafferty, Martin County judge-executive. “We pray that those efforts will be successful.”
Jody Meiman, director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services who is on site to assist with rescue operations, said officials knew they were going to go into the next phase Wednesday, so they started ordering some of the necessary equipment then. Some of it is already on scene but more is on the way Thursday.
Crews will search through the rubble as pieces are removed, Meiman said. The pieces will also be evaluated for clues or signs of life for the missing worker.
Meiman said the process of removing debris will be slow but necessary.
“It’s a very methodical process, it’s a very slow process, but it’s a process that has to take place in order to get down into the building where that last known location was,” Meiman said.
Structural engineers are also on scene to monitor the rubble and make sure it doesn’t collapse even further on rescuers. Meiman said the pile has moved multiple times during the search.
“It is dangerous, it continues to be dangerous but again, we’ll overcome those obstacles,” Meiman said.
Crews searched for the missing worker overnight Wednesday and into early Thursday and have yet to make contact with the individual, according to Lafferty.
The 11-story structure at the Pontiki Prep Plant in a sparsely populated area of steep hills near Middlefork Wolf Creek Road collapsed Tuesday evening, trapping the two workers under tons of concrete and steel.
The workers were preparing the structure for demolition when it collapsed. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said the facility had been closed for years and reclamation was being done when the collapse occurred.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 10:59 AM.
