Five people died and seven are missing after two methane explosions in Pniówek coal mine in southern Poland, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at a press briefing in front of the mine. He added that a rescuer was among the victims, and that 20 people were taken to a hospital with burn injuries.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at a press briefing in front of the mine that five people had died as result of two methane blasts, seven were missing, and 20 sustained burn injuries. "The situation is very difficult," he said, adding that a rescuer was one of the victims.
"The rescue team rushed to help those who got trapped, but unfortunately at around 3 a.m. a second blast occurred, which trapped a few rescuers, injuring many miners, causing many burn wounds" Morawiecki said.
Owner JSW said earlier on Wednesday the probable explosion at the Pniówek coal mine in Pawłowice happened shortly after midnight at a depth of 1,000 metres (3,300 feet). A total of 42 miners were in the area at the time, 21 of whom were transported to hospital. Most of the injured suffered from burns, doctors told reporters. JSW said that 13 teams were involved in the rescue, but that efforts had been put on hold. "The rescue operation was temporarily suspended until the dust barrier, protecting the rescue base against the methane explosion, is rebuilt," the company said in a statement It added that the families of the miners affected were being helped by psychologists.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24, Reuters