Monday’s mine explosion has now killed at least 25 people and left four others unaccounted for this morning in a small West Virginia town.
Worried families await word after a West Virginia mine explosion.The blast was reported at around 3 p.m. at the Massey Energy Co.’s Upper Big Branch mine near Whitesville, W. Va., about 30 miles south of Charleston, W.V.
A Massey Energy spokesman told reporters the rescue mission has been halted because rising methane gas levels inside the mine made it unsafe in case of another explosion.
This is the worst U.S. mine disaster since 1984.
A timeline of US mine disasters is here. It’s includes three others in this new millennium.
Rescue efforts continue in China where 115 miners survived against the odds.
Kmareka.com 
I just read there was a lot of seismic activity, both natural and man-made, that preceded the explosion:
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/04/06/seismic-events-triggered-explosion/