A man working in a railroad tunnel in Mingo County was killed Thursday morning when a large rock fell on top of him.
OSHA Assistant Area Director Sue Barazi says the man was operating equipment in the tunnel at Marrowbone Creek Road near Kermit at about 5 a.m. Thursday when the accident occurred.
Barazi says the victim worked for Johnson Western Gunite Construction. Norfolk Southern owns the tunnel.
The victim's name has not been released.
An OSHA investigator was on the scene by late Thursday morning.
Contractors have been working in recent months in parts of southern and western West Virginia retrofitting railroad tunnels to handle double-stack containers. The $151 million Heartland Corridor project is taking place from Hampton Roads, Va. to Chicago.
