By Sarah Plummer
Register-Herald Reporter

A miner was crushed to death when part of a wall collapsed Monday at a mine operation in Bolt.

State Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training spokesperson Leslie Fitzwater confirmed crew leader Joseph M. Cassell, 33, of Glen Daniel, was killed at Rhino Eastern’s Eagle No. 1 mine.

The accident occurred around 1:50 a.m. when “the miner (Cassell) was cleaning/shoveling along the rib to set timbers,” said Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration Spokesperson Amy Louviere. The brow, which was 32 feet long and measured 100 inches high and 37 inches thick, fell and crushed the miner, she said.

A joint investigation is under way by representatives from MSHA, the State Office of Miners’ Health and the mining company, said Fitzwater. Representatives from each party were on site in Raleigh County. The investigation will continue Tuesday.

“We want to stay vigilant about mining safety and make sure everyone is working as safely as possible,” Delegate Daniel Hall, D-W.Va., said.

Hall was affected by this death, knowing the miner was close to his own age.

“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. It is one of those horrible tragedies,” he said.

According to MSHA, this marks the seventh coal mining fatality for 2011.

— E-mail: splummer@register-herald.com