Ten miners injured in Polish coal mine accident, rescue workers search for dozens more – News-Herald

WARSAW, Poland — At least 10 Polish miners were injured and rescue workers are searching for dozens more after a powerful earthquake struck the Rydultowy coal mine, located about 1,200 meters underground, on Thursday, officials said.

The cause of the quake was not immediately clear.

Polish Coal Mining Group spokeswoman Aleksandra Wysocka-Siembiga said the accident occurred around 8 a.m.

“Some of these people are being brought to the surface, some have already been brought up and some have not yet been reached by rescue workers,” Wysocka-Siembiga said.

According to official information, there were 68 miners in the area at the time. 15 of them were brought to the surface and 10 of them had to be taken to hospital. Rescue planes and 10 emergency teams were involved in the rescue operation.

Łukasz Pach, head of the emergency services in Katowice, the mining region’s largest city, said the condition of the miners in hospital was stable.

Two miners were killed in two separate accidents at the Rydultowy mine in 2019 and 2020.

The Rydultowy mine, opened in 1792, currently employs about 2,000 miners.

There is a risk of methane gas explosions in some coal mines in Poland.