The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The community gathered at noon Friday to remember the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion on its 14th anniversary at the Raleigh County Courthouse in Beckley.
Following the Remembrance Ceremony inside the Courthouse everyone exited to visit the Miners Memorial Garden near Shoemaker Square adjacent to the Raleigh County Courthouse on Main Street. The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on April 5, 2010, roughly 1,000 feet underground in Raleigh County, at the Upper Big Branch coal mine located in Montcoal. Out of 31 miners at the site, 29 were killed. The coal dust explosion occurred at 3:27 p.m. The accident was the worst in the United States since 1970.