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WVU tests safety shelter for coal mines

West Virginia University researchers have tested a steel shelter aimed at protecting coal miners in a disaster.Hota GangaRao, director of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources' Constructed Facilities Center, said Tuesday's test involved blasting fire along the sides of the...

West Virginia University researchers have tested a steel shelter aimed at protecting coal miners in a disaster.

Hota GangaRao, director of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources' Constructed Facilities Center, said Tuesday's test involved blasting fire along the sides of the shelter. It was the third in a series of five required tests before the shelter can be approved for use in mines.

The 5-foot-high shelter was developed after the 2006 Sago Mine disaster that killed 12 in northern West Virginia. It has enough food, safety equipment and other items to hold 10 miners for four days.

Eleanor-based Trinity Resources plans to manufacture and sell the shelters worldwide.

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Information from: The Dominion Post, http://www.dominionpost.com

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