A miner was killed and a co-worker received serious lung damage when a blasting operation released deadly sulfur dioxide (SO2). The workers prepared the explosives and then set off the blast from a refuge station. They did not realize the rock contained sulfides. Within minutes, the gas began seeping into the refuge station through openings around the door. They decided to run to a nearby shaft station in an effort to reach breathable air. One worker collapsed and died at the shaft station. The other ran back to the refuge station and stayed there until he was rescued. He suffered permanent […]