The victim, whose name was withheld until his family was notified, was 34-year-old miner Brandon Townsend.

Townsend died Wednesday afternoon at the facility near Charleston, which is operated by Patriot’s Midland Trail Energy subsidiary, after he was struck by a hydraulic cylinder on a refuse press.

Patriot officials told ILN a second employee who received non-life threatening injuries in the accident was being still being treated at a local hospital Thursday.

The employee’s name has not been released.

“We deeply mourn the loss of Brandon and express our sincere sympathies to his family, friends and co-workers,” operations executive vice-president Michael Day said.

“The company is fully co-operating with state and federal mine regulatory officials during the investigation of the incident.”

Both the US Mine Safety and Health Administration and the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training confirmed to ILN that their respective staffs were still on site Thursday.

State mining office spokeswoman Leslie Fitzwater noted that the preparation plant remains idled, but the mines that feed it are operating.

MSHA’s District 4 office has classified the incident as Exploding Vessels Under Pressure.

The fatality is the first in West Virginia in 2013, and the second nationwide this year.