10 missing after tremors at Poland coal mine

Warsaw, April 23

Coal mining authorities in Poland said on Saturday that contact had been lost with 10 miners following a powerful underground tremor and methane gas discharge at the Borynia-Zofiowka mine in the south of the country.

The accident at 3:40 am on Saturday occurred some 900 metres underground.

It was the second colliery accident in just four days in the coal mining region around the town of Jastrzebie-Zdroj, near the Czech border.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Twitter that this was “devastating news again” from the mining region. He said his thoughts and prayers were with those missing and their relatives.

Repeat methane blasts since Wednesday at the nearby Pniowek mine have killed five and left seven missing and injured several others. The search for those missing there was suspended on Friday after new blasts injured seven rescuers. — AP