Situation ‘grim,’ but officials still hope they’ll find trapped KY worker on 3rd day of search
Rescuers in Martin County are still considering their search for a missing Martin County worker a rescue mission, despite the fact that the man has been trapped in the rubble of a collapsed coal plant for nearly three days.
Alvin Nees, 57, has been missing since Tuesday evening after he and Billy Ray “Bo” Daniels were trapped underneath multiple layers of concrete and steel when an 11-story structure at the Pontiki Prep Plant collapsed. The coal preparation plant was in the steep hills of Martin County, near Middlefork Wolf Creek Road.
Judge-Executive Lon Lafferty said crews worked through the night Thursday evening into Friday morning and were still not able to locate Nees.
Daniels was confirmed dead Wednesday. Lafferty said the operation remains a rescue and recovery mission, but suspects it could become a full recovery mission as time elapses throughout the day.
“The circumstances there on the ground are certainly grim, but we continue to hold out hope and prayer,” Lafferty said during a Friday morning press conference.
It’s believed that Nees survived the initial collapse of the building, Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said previously. A witness told Kirk they heard Nees talking and praying after the building caved in.
Kirk said Thursday they believed they know where Nees is, but he’s underneath multiple stories of concrete and steel.
Nees and Daniels were preparing the structure for demolition when it collapsed. Lafferty said four total people were on scene when the collapse happened. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said the facility had been closed for years and reclamation was being done when the collapse occurred.
Crews entered a new phase of the rescue operation Thursday by using heavy machinery to lift pieces off the collapsed pile in hopes of finding the missing worker, or opening up new voids to search. Kentucky Emergency Management Director Jeremy Slinker previously said all preliminary search efforts were exhausted and all the voids and creases in the rubble have been searched.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 12:05 PM.
