ADGER, Ala. (AP) — Volatile gas exploded Friday in a coal mine that had recently undergone a court-ordered inspection, but all miners got out safely, a federal mine safety official said.
The explosion was at the Shoal Creek Mine, about 45 miles west of Birmingham and operated by Drummond Co., said Dirk Filpott, spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
He said all the miners were "successfully withdrawn" within two hours.
The company said the explosion was caused by ignition of methane gas near a rock face where a longwall machine mines coal. The statement did not say how many miners were underground at the time, but said everyone was evacuated.