WHEELWRIGHT, Ky. (AP) -- A federal official says a decades-old abandoned mine is the cause of a failing hillside in eastern Kentucky that has forced 11 families from their homes.
Steve Rathbun of the Office of Surface Mining in Ashland said Thursday that a team of engineers that studied the Floyd County site determined four of the most vulnerable houses sit atop on material from the abandoned mine that is falling away.
Rathbun says the determination means federal funds can be used to stabilize the area. He said it is too early to determine how much the fix will cost.
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