MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — The owner of the West Virginia mine where 29 men died in an explosion two years ago on Thursday says it will begin to permanently seal the mine soon and finish the job by summer.
Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources, which acquired the mine when it bought Massey last summer, announced Wednesday it will use concrete to seal large tunnels miners use to enter the Upper Big Branch mine.
Also Wednesday, the mother and siblings of one of those killed sued former Massey Energy chief Don Blankenship and eight others, calling them responsible for the worst U.S. coal mining disaster in decades.
Blankenship, who has retired, did not immediately respond to efforts to get his comment.
The lawsuit does not target Massey or Alpha Natural Resources.
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