2 found dead after landslide in Clay County

CLAY COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – Two men are dead after a landslide in Clay County.

WKYT reports an initial call to a 911 center came in just after 1 a.m. Friday, but crews were not able to clear the scene until daylight.

They say two men were found dead at the scene after they had been digging for coal.

Initially, deputies responded to Stone Gap Road near Oneida. The call to 911 reportedly came in after relatives became worried when the men had not been seen.

Upon arrival, first responders found one man in the rubble before finding a second man buried nearby after the hillside had given away.

Friend David Taylor says the men had found a coal seam and were digging for the coal to heat their homes in the winter. The men leave behind families, including children.

Taylor says, “Hit them pretty hard. I just try to be there for them, the only way I can. That is why I’m down here.”

Officials say a vehicle was found with a bucket of raw coal, and tools and additional buckets were found near where the men had been digging.