A strong quake hit Bielszowice coal mine in Ruda Śląska on Thursday afternoon. One miner got seriously injured and died shortly after, 9 others sustained fractures and bruises.
The dispatcher of the State Mining Authority (SMA) informed that the quake occurred 1.100 metres below ground. The information about the quake was also confirmed by the spokesman of the PGG, Tomasz Głogowski.
The PAP agency said the quake had a magnitude of 3 on the Richter scale.
There were 17 miners working in the area struck by the quake. One of them got seriosly injured and died shortly after despite attempts to save him, 16 others were safely evacuated from the danger zone. Nine of them sustained fractures and bruises.
Głogowski reassured that the lives of the evacuated miners were not in danger. He added that doctors tended to the injured miner. According to initial assessment, his condition was serious. Unfortunately, he died soon after.
The deceased miner was 39 years old. He was an electrician. This was the 22nd death in Poland's mining industry accidents this year.
Rescue mission was launched in the mine and the Polish Medical Air Rescue dispatched three helicopters.
In July, three miners died after a tremor at PGG's Staszic coal mine in Katowice, in the deadliest incident in the country's mining industry this year.
Poland still generates most of its electricity from burning coal, but coal production has fallen in the past years due to lower investment and efforts to cost cuts.
Last year 21 miners died in mining industry accidents in Poland, official statistics show.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0