A tragic outcome in Nicholas County was confirmed Thursday morning when mine rescue teams discovered the body of 42-year-old foreman Steve Lipscomb inside the flooded Rolling Thunder Mine near Swiss. Lipscomb had been missing since Saturday, when he and his crew encountered a sudden, forceful rush of water caused by a broken seal leading into old mine works. While all 17 other miners managed to escape, Lipscomb was last seen working to help his team reach safety. After days of draining and monitoring conditions, rescue crews were finally able to reenter the mine early Thursday, and a two-man team located him around 7:37 a.m.

Veteran newsman Jeff Jenkins has a full report posted online.

I don’t pretend to know the mining life — what it means to work underground day after day, or the uniqu

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