West Virginia Says Upper Big Branch Monitors Not Modified

State mine safety officials say testing shows that methane monitors taken from a West Virginia coal mine where 29 were killed in an explosion were not tampered with.

The monitors were taken from a mining machine believed to be at the center of the April 5 explosion at the Massey Energy mine.

State Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training chief Ron Wooten said Monday that tests conducted over the weekend at a federal laboratory show the monitors weren’t modified.

Officials were investigating whether the monitors were altered to keep the mining machine running after it ran into pockets of methane. The monitors are designed to shut the machines down when explosive levels of methane are encountered.

Massey has denied any tampering occurred.

Topics Virginia