The Monday afternoon explosion at the Massey Energy Co. coal mine in West Virginia not only killed at least 25 workers, but it is expected to intensify government scrutiny of underground coal mining in general, which could reduce coal supplies for steelmakers in the near-term.
Investors concerned with the possible regulatory and business fallout sent Massey's shares down by nearly 11 percent on Tuesday. The explosion, located at the company's Upper Big Branch Mine, was the deadliest US mining disaster in over 25 years.