In the United States , an average of 23 coal miners per year died in the decade 2007 – 2016 . Recent U.S. coal-mining disasters include the Sago Mine disaster of January 2006 . In 2007 , a mine accident in Utah 's Crandall Canyon Mine killed nine miners , with six entombed . The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in West Virginia killed 29 miners in April 2010
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
Upper Big Branch Mine disaster
Environmental impact of the coal industry