Upper Big Branch Mine disaster : NPR

The Cruelest Month: Boston Blasts Join List Of Dark Incidents

Oklahoma City Bombing: The Albert P. Murrah Federal Building shows the devastation caused by a fuel and fertilizer truck bomb on April 19, 1995. The blast killed 168 people and injured more than 500. Bob Daemmrich/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Bob Daemmrich/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

The Cruelest Month: Boston Blasts Join List Of Dark Incidents

April 16, 2013 • The Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine school shootings and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster are among the infamous and sometimes horrific moments that have occurred during the month of April.

Mine Safety Reform Stalled Three Years After Deadly Blast

In this 2010 photo, coal miner Terry Cooper, left, embraces his wife Michelle, daughter Tera and son Justin, during a vigil to honor the coal miners that were killed in Montcoal, W. Va. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Mine Safety Reform Stalled Three Years After Deadly Blast

April 8, 2013 • One critic said it was a travesty that Congress had not acted three years after the worst mine disaster in this country in 40 years.

The Two-Way

Report: W.Va. Fails To Enforce New Regs Designed To Prevent Mine Explosions

February 4, 2013 • The Charleston Gazette reports that mine regulators found hundreds of violations but haven't issued any citations.

The Two-Way

Coal Mine Inspection Sweep Targets Cause Of Black Lung

October 31, 2012 • One of the 13 coal mines singled out by inspectors was once owned by Massey Energy, the company that owned the Upper Big Branch mine, the scene of a deadly 2010 explosion. Two others are owned by Murray Energy, whose Crandall Canyon coal mine experienced two collapses in 2007, killing nine miners and rescuers.

The Two-Way

Former Massey Coal Mines Targeted In Massive Inspection Blitz

May 24, 2012 • Dozens of federal mine safety inspectors descended into 43 coal mines in three Appalachian states Wednesday. The mines are now owned by Alpha Natural Resources, which absorbed Massey Energy after a 2010 mine disaster in West Virginia.

The Two-Way

Two Years After W. Va. Mine Disaster: Grief, Anger And Questions Linger

April 5, 2012 • On April 5, 2010, an explosion killed 29 men at the Upper Big Branch mine. Today, families will remember those who died. Meanwhile, some are pressing a lawsuit against executives of the company that ran the mine. Its new owners are sealing the mine.

The Two-Way

Massey Mine Boss Pleads Guilty As Feds Target Execs

March 29, 2012 • The plea from the former superintendent of the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia is a key step in the effort to seek criminal charges further up the corporate ladder at Massey Energy.

The Two-Way

West Virginia Mine Superintendent Pleads Guilty To Fraud

March 29, 2012 • Gary May is the highest-ranking Massey Energy official so far charged after an investigation into operations at the mine where a blast killed 29 men in April 2010.

The Two-Way

Mine Agency To Congress: Don't Blame Us For Deadly Disaster

March 27, 2012 • The agency argued the operator's intentional evasion of the law was to blame for the mine blast.

Mine Safety Agency Reports Failures Before Deadly Explosion

Mine helmets and painted crosses sat at the entrance to Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine on April 5, as a memorial to the 29 miners killed there one year earlier. Jeff Gentner/AP hide caption

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Jeff Gentner/AP

The Two-Way

Mine Safety Agency Reports Failures Before Deadly Explosion

March 6, 2012 • But it said its failures did not directly contribute to the blast, which killed 29 coal miners in 2010.

Mine Safety Agency Reports Failures Before Deadly Explosion

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