April 13, 2026 - Six miners died in accidents over the last five weeks – including three in a seven-day span ending April 3.

MSHA has now reported eight fatal accidents in 2026. Following two mining fatalities in January and none in February, four fatal mining accidents occurred in March and another two so far in April.

In 2025, 11 mining fatalities took place in the first four months of the year.

The most recent mining fatalities occurred at two different coal operations in West Virginia. MSHA ruled one as a powered haulage accident and the other as a fall of roof or back accident.

Prior to these accidents, a miner died March 28 at an industrial sand operation in San Antonio. MSHA says a contractor died after falling through an unsecured roof panel on a shaker screen deck building while conducting roof repairs. MSHA classified the accident as slip or fall of person.

On March 12, a contractor died at a copper ore operation in Salt Lake City. MSHA says the contractor died on the surface of an underground mine after the boom of a drill mast collapsed and struck him.

Another miner died March 5 in a machinery accident at an Illinois coal operation. MSHA says the miner died after being pinned against the coal rib by a continuous mining machine.

Two days earlier, a contractor died at another industrial sand operation in San Antonio after a concrete retaining wall collapsed into the excavated trench below and crushed him.

Fatalities by type, state and sector

On the year, MSHA has classified three of the eight mining fatalities as machinery accidents. Two were characterized as powered haulage accidents, with fall of roof or back (1), falling, rolling or sliding rock or material of any kind (1), and slip or fall of person (1) each accounting for one miner fatality.

By state, Texas has three mining fatalities this year while West Virginia has two. California, Illinois and Utah have one each.

By mining sector, metal/nonmetal has accounted for five of 2026’s eight fatalities. Three occurred at coal operations.