WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Two miners were killed in West Virginia on Saturday when a roof collapsed in a coal mine owned by Alpha Natural Resources Inc. <ANR.N>, authorities said.

A spokeswoman for the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training said the accident happened at the Brooks Run mine in McDowell County, about 90 miles (145 km) west of Roanoke, Virginia.

"They were doing retreat mining," said Caryn Gresham, meaning they were mining backwards after having gone as far forward as planned when the roof collapsed about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) underground.

Both victims, whose identities were not available, had been brought out by late afternoon, she said.

Officials from the mining organization, as well as the Federal Mining Safety and Health Administration, had begun an investigation, which was likely to take a few days, she said.

Early last year in West Virginia, a dozen men were killed in an explosion at the Sago Mine in Upshur County and two died in a fire at the Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine in Logan County.

Alpha's Brooks Run business unit produces coal from three underground mines and has a capacity to ship about 2.5 million tonnes a year, according to Reuters data.

Alpha has eight regional units that produce, process and sell steam and metallurgical coal.

The units are supported by 44 underground mines, 25 surface mines and 11 preparation plants in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania as well as a highway construction business in West Virginia that produces coal.

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