CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey told reporters the focus of the ongoing work to find and rescue a missing miner in Nicholas County is to remove water from a flooded coal mine.

“The big, strategic goal right now is to drain as much water as possible to give the mine rescue individuals the opportunity to go in and further their search,” Morrisey said during a press conference a the Federal Courthouse in Charleston following a meeting with U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Wednesday.

New equipment delivered to the mine has helped speed up the pumping process, but there’s still a lot of water to get out of the mine. Crews are trying to speed the effort to find the missing man who hasn’t been heard from since Saturday.

“The average height where we’re draining is declining about

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