1 dead, 1 trapped under debris of collapsed Kentucky coal plant amid rescue efforts

The collapse of a derelict coal preparation plant with two workers inside Tuesday night has led Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to advise the public to "be prepared for tough news" after at least one man was reported dead.

Authorities were first dispatched to the scene in Martin County, Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, reported AP, after an 11-story idle coal production plant collapsed on two workers preparing it for demolition. The men were on the bottom floor of the building salvaging material when it came down on the pair, trapping them beneath layers of debris and rubble including chunks of concrete and steel beams.

Wednesday morning, Govenor Beshear posted on X, formerly Twitter, declaring a State of Emergency in Martin County and asking Kentuckians to pray for the workers as well as teams preparing to attempt rescue. He later posted warning citizens that "the scene is bad" and they should be "prepared for tough news."

Later Wednesday morning, Beshear confirmed on the platform that at least one of the workers trapped inside the collapsed coal preparation plant had died. The status of the second man is unknown.

An employee with the Martin County Sheriff's Office told the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY network, that all of the department's deputies were at the scene but noted the remote location meant limited cell service to relay additional updates.

One dead, one trapped in KY:1 person confirmed dead after being trapped inside coal plant in Martin County

Rescue mission still underway

Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said that first responders were able to make initial contact with one man inside Tuesday night, reported AP, but teams were unaware of the extent of the men's injuries.

Kirk also said it could take several rescue teams days to reach the trapped workers, saying, "This is a lot of weight. A lot of large metal structures, a lot of concrete, and very confined space last. Very tight spaces. Any time you put a rescuer in that situation, you’re putting his life in danger.”

Kirk likewise told local outlet WYMT news that the plant had been out of commission for year and the coal company recently sold it for scrap and demolition. The workers inside had been trying to salvage materials as part of an eight-month endeavor when the sudden destruction occucrred.

“They typically take these down in sections. They fall them- you know, cut torch and fall them in section,” he told WYMT. "We believe that’s what happened. That it just didn’t fall the way they had projected it to fall and it actually closed around them.”

Many agencies, including area fire departments, the American Red Cross, Jefferson County Urban Search and Rescue, the Special Operations Unit from the Lexington Fire Department, the National Guard’s Special Tactics Squadron K9 search dog and the Northern Kentucky Technical Rescue Team were reportedly all on-scene Wednesday working on the delicate rescue mission.

“We’re not really equipped for this type of disaster,” Kirk told WYMT. “You kinda feel helpless that you can’t do more, that you can’t for it faster. But this is not a fast process. It’s a very slow process in order to try to keep everybody safe."

Kentucky Emergency Management has told media the rescue is ongoing and the condition of the second man is not known at this time.

This is a developing story and will be updated.