The Benwood mine disaster was a coal mine explosion that occurred on Monday, April 28, 1924, at the Benwood Mine of the former Wheeling Steel Corporation steel mill located in the city of Benwood in Marshall County, West Virginia. The explosion claimed the lives of 119 coal miners. There were no survivors. It is the third worst coal mining disaster in the state of West Virginia after the Monongah Mine disaster of December 6, 1907 that claimed the lives of 361 miners and the Eccles Mine Disaster of April 28, 1914 that claimed the lives of 183 miners.
The explosion, caused by the ignition of methane gas and coal dust, occurred at approximately 7:05 AM EST, about a half-hour after the morning shift of coal miners had entered the mine to begin work.
The majority of the miners killed were recent European immigrants of the early 20th Century from Poland, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania.
Victims
The 119 victims of the April 28, 1924, Benwood mine disaster were: