An explosion and fire in a coal mine operated by Jim Walter Resources, Inc. in Brookwood, Ala., has left 13 people dead, making it the deadliest mine incident in the United States since 1984.

Sunday's incident happened at Mine No. 5 and apparently was the result of a cave-in that occurred where miners were conducting maintenance activities.

Mine rescue teams evacuated miners who were underground at the time of the incident. Four miners were evacuated and taken to area hospitals. All other miners and rescue personnel were evacuated from the mine.

The mine is 2,140 feet underground. Operations were shut down following the incident. Officials from Jim Walter Resources, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, the United Mine Workers Association and the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations were on hand to assist in the rescue effort and investigate the incident.

Jim Walter Resources operates three underground coal mines and a natural gas operation.