A spokeswoman for the office says at the time of the accident, the missing miners were operating what's known as a continuous miner, a machine that digs coal for transport to the surface.
The U.S. Postal Service has suspended mail delivery and will keep post offices closed in all six New England states because of the blizzard that has dumped more than 2 feet of snow throughout the region.
A widespread winter storm has dumped snow over the Northeast and parts of Ohio just days after the regions were hit by another storm moving from the nation's midsection.