Polish rescue teams are searching for dozens of miners after a strong tremor rocked Poland’s Rydułtowy coal mine, some 1,200 metres below the surface, on Thursday, rescuing 15 of them and injuring 10, authorities said.
The cause of the earthquake remains unclear.
Polish Coal Mining Group spokeswoman Alexandra Wysocka-Sembiga said the accident occurred at around 08:00 local time (07:00 Lisbon time).
“Some of these people are being raised to the surface, others have already been delivered, and rescuers have not yet reached others,” said Vysotskaya-Sembiga.
Authorities said there were 68 miners in the area at the time, 15 of whom reached the surface, including 10 who were hospitalized.
The rescue operation is supported by dozens of ambulances, both land and air, as well as dozens of firefighters.
Lukasz Pach, head of the ambulance service in Katowice, the main city in the mining region, said the condition of the hospitalized miners was stable.
In 2019 and 2020, two miners died in separate accidents at the Rydułtowy mine, which opened in 1792 and currently employs about 2,000 people.
Some coal mines in Poland are prone to methane explosions.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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