Search Continues For Trapped Miner

The trapped miner inside a Nicholas County coal mine has not been found, but rescue operations are continuing. 

Crews are now pumping approximately 6,000 gallons of water a minute from the Rolling Thunder Mine in Drennen. More pumps have arrived to increase the volume.

Crews are also working to drill a shaft to lower a rescue pod inside the mine. Rescuers believe the miner is about three-quarters of a mile inside. 

Gov. Morrisey provides an update on the missing miner from the Rolling Thunder mine. pic.twitter.com/0HGhdl6Gk5

— Governor Patrick Morrisey (@wvgovernor) November 12, 2025

In a briefing Tuesday evening at the entrance to the site, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said they are measuring water levels inside the mine. 

“This is a process that we have to make sure that everything is done in the most safe way possible,” he said. “And I think people are doing everything imaginable to try to give the miner a chance to live.”

The governor’s office has not released the miner’s name but has indicated he is a foreman. 

“This is a person that they know, they know very well. We’re still not revealing the name right now, I don’t think that’d be appropriate,” Morrisey said. “They’re working around the clock, trying to do everything possible to rescue the missing miner.” 

Earlier efforts included cave divers entering the mine, but they were unsuccessful. The situation was extremely dangerous with zero visibility and possible obstructions and other potential entrapment hazards for the divers. 

“As I mentioned over the last couple days, when you have that kind of volume of water, it makes it very difficult. There obviously were a few teams that went down, they dived, and that information was very valuable,” Morrisey said. “But it’s very difficult to bring together both the diving and the mine safety rescue efforts. So I think there is still a lot of water, but every conceivable effort, from what we’ve seen, is being put in to get rid of that water.”

As pumping operations continue, Alpha Metallurgical Resources, the owner of the Rolling Thunder Mine, is partnering with outside companies to drill from the surface to create additional access points where a capsule drill could be used as a means of rescue. 

“While estimates from setup and completion vary for each method, using both approaches together offers the clearest path to success,” Morrisey said in a statement on X. 

The incident occurred Saturday when a wall holding back an unknown pocket of water was compromised, flooding the mine. 

There were 18 miners working at the time. The other 17 made it out safely.