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A former Upper Big Branch Mine employee claims that a methane detector was disabled two months before the explosion that killed 29 miners.

In an exclusive interview on NBC's Today show, Ricky Lee Campbell stated that he witnessed a supervisor tell an electrician to turn off the methane monitor on the continuous miner.

Campbell also stated that he has informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation about what he saw.

According to the NBC report, Massy Energy claims that the monitor was only turned off in order to move the machine.

"He didn't want to do it," expresses Campbell. "He knew the danger; but, when somebody above you is telling you what to do, you are going to do it."

Coal miner Ricky Lee Campbell recalls the day underground when he allegedly witnessed the safety violation.

"Bypassing a methane detector on the machines so we can continue to run coal," Campbell explains.

Massey claims that the methane monitor was bypassed in order to move the miner from the area that did not have roof support to a safer area for repair. Campbell says that statement is not true. Last week, the company released data that suggested the April fifth explosion was caused by a rapid release of methane gas. Governor Joe Manchin's independent investigation head Davitt MacAteer has said that some miners who worked at Upper Big Branch were concerned about safety and intimidation

Campbell adds, "I felt like if you complained too much or rocked the boat too much, then you would disappear."

Campbell says he was fired from Massey Energy in April for unsafe behavior after he raised concerns about safety. He has since filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the coal operator.

Massey Chief Don Blankenship said in a recent interview that the company does not condone safety violations and they routinely dismiss people for violating the codes.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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A mine safety official in the northern province of Shanxi said an explosives store blew up during the night shift at the Liugou mine in Linfen city.

Rescue workers had been sent to the mine to find any survivors still trapped in the mine, officials said.

Explosions and accidents are common in China's mines, which are vital for its coal-intensive economy. More than 2,600 deaths were reported during 2009.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off