Mining deaths drop to historic low in 2001 despite major disaster in Alabama

PIKEVILLE, Ky. - Mining deaths fell to a historic low in the United States last year, despite an explosion that killed 13 people in Alabama. <br> <br> The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration reported 72 mining deaths in 2001, the lowest number since the federal government began keeping records in 1910. <br> <br> The administration reported 42 deaths in coal mines and 30 in other mines. The slight increase in coal mining deaths, up from 38 in 2000, was offset by a reduction in fatalities in copper, gold, stone and other types of mines, down from 47, said MSHA Director Dave Lauriski. <br> <br> Alabama led the nation in coal mine fatalities last year with 14, followed by West Virginia with 13. Kentucky had 5 deaths. Indiana, Ohio and Virginia each had two coal mining deaths, while Arkansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas each had one. <br> <br> Nationally, more than 100 coal miners died in mine accidents each year through the 1970s, but the numbers have declined since then, reaching a low of 29 deaths in 1998. <br> <br> Bill Caylor, president of the Kentucky Coal Association, attributed the decline to a push for safety by mining companies and beefed up policing by regulatory agencies. <br> <br> &#34;You&#39;re also seeing an older, more experienced work force -- people who know what the safety rules are,&#34; Caylor said. &#34;And luck is always a factor.&#34; <br> <br> MSHA is still investigating the cause of a Sept. 23 underground explosion at the Jim Walter Resources No. 5 mine in Brookwood, Ala. Thirteen people were killed. <br> <br>