Two people are trapped after a defunct coal-fired power plant collapsed in Martin County Tuesday night, officials said. Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said the collapse was reported around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and two first responders were able to locate and contact one of them. Men, news agencies report. Authorities do not know the extent of their injuries. The sheriff says rescue crews have made contact with one person and rendered aid, but have not yet been able to extricate him. The man’s condition is unknown. On Wednesday morning, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced he had signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency to mobilize state resources in Martin County. to rescue them,” the governor posted on social media. The plant had not been in use for years, and Kirk said he was retrieving materials from the building when it collapsed. The men were on the bottom floor when the building collapsed, and they were trapped under tons of rubble, Kirk said. Several rescue workers were inside the wreckage. They tried to free the worker, Kirk said. The recovery could take days, Kirk said. “It’s a lot of weight. A lot of large metal structures, a lot of concrete and a very limited space last. Very tight spaces,” he said. “Anytime you put a rescuer in that situation, you’re putting his life at risk.”
Two people are trapped after a defunct coal-fired power plant collapsed in Martin County Tuesday night, authorities said.
The collapse was reported around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Martin County Sheriff John Kirk was able to locate and contact one of the two first responders, news outlets said. Authorities do not know the extent of their injuries.
The sheriff said rescue crews were able to make contact with one person and render aid, but so far they have not been able to extricate him.
So far, the extent of the two’s conditions is unknown.
On Wednesday morning, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced he had signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Martin County to mobilize state resources.
“Please join Britain and me in praying for their safety and for the brave teams working to rescue them,” the governor posted on social media.
The plant had not been in use for several years, and the men were salvaging materials from the building when it collapsed, Kirk said. The men were on the bottom floor of the building when it collapsed, trapping them under tons of rubble, Kirk said.
Several rescuers tried to free the worker from the rubble, Kirk said. Recovery could take several days, Kirk said.
“It’s a lot of weight. A lot of large metal structures, a lot of concrete and very confined space at the very end. Very tight spaces,” he said. “Any time you put a rescuer in that situation, you’re putting their life at risk.”
