Eckington Mine Roof Fall

In 1998 part of the roof collapsed at Eckington drift mine in Derbyshire, about 800 metres in from the entrance, killing two miners and injuring a third. The mine, opened only five years earlier and worked by the pillar and stall method, had had a good safety record until then. It continued in production afterwards and did not close until January 2019.

Cause

Collapse of part of the roof, some 800 metres in from the drift entrance.

What happened

Eckington was a small modern drift mine, employing a few dozen people and working a shallow seam above long-abandoned deeper workings. The fall came some 2,630 feet — about 800 metres — from the drift entrance. Two miners died and a third was injured. The Independent reported the deaths on 4 June 1998.

Investigation & inquiry

No inquiry report has been located in this pass. The mine continued to operate after the collapse under the same company.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Part of the roof collapsed in 1998, killing two miners and injuring a third; the collapse took place some 2,630 feet (800 m) from the entrance.

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “In 1998 part of the roof collapsed at Eckington drift mine in Derbyshire, about 800 metres in from the entrance, killing…”
• Room and Pillar (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…a third. The mine, opened only five years earlier and worked by the pillar and stall method, had had a good safety record until then. It continued in…”

Sources

1. (primary) Former Derbyshire drift mine made safe to protect public and environment (21 January 2020) — The Coal Authority / UK Government
2. (secondary) Eckington Mine — Wikipedia

Record created: 4 September 2026 · Last researched: 4 September 2026