Breaking news: Explosion at Poland’s largest coal mine leaves four dead 21 injured and seven missing

An explosion at the largest coal mine in Poland has led to four people losing their lives, with 21 people injured and a further seven missing.

Four people have died and seven people have been reported missing following an explosion at a coal mine in southern Poland in the early hours of the morning of Wednesday, 20 , April, described by the owner of the JSW mine as a probable methane explosion, according to a senior government official, as reported by Reuters.

42 miners were reportedly working at the coal mine, with 21 of them being taken to hospital following the explosion which ocurred shortly after midnight at a depth of 1,000 metres in the Pniowek coal mine which is located in Pawlowice, Poland, according to the owner of JSW.

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin stated on Twitter: “Very sad information. Four miners died as a result of an explosion at the Pniówek mine. The search for 7 others is continuing. I asked the deputy minister to go to the site @piotrpyzik who will keep me informed about the situation. I join in prayer with the families and relatives of the miners.”

Credit: Twitter: @SasinJacek

Bardzo smutna informacja. Zmarło 4 górników w wyniku wybuchu w Kopalni Pniówek. Trwają poszukiwania 7 innych. Poprosiłem, aby na miejsce pojechał wiceminister @piotrpyzik, który na bieżąco informuje mnie o sytuacji. Łączę się w modlitwie z rodzinami i bliskimi górników.

— Jacek Sasin (@SasinJacek) April 20, 2022

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that his “thoughts and prayers” were with the miners’ families and that he would soon visit the area where the incident occurred. According to reports, doctors stated that most of the victims who were treated in hospital had suffered from burns. JSW stated that 13 rescue teams are currently trying to search for missing miners, but efforts had been put on hold. “The rescue operation was temporarily suspended until the dust barrier protecting the rescue base from the methane explosion is rebuilt,” JSW stated. The company added that psychologists will be helping the families of miners involved in the incident.

According to the coal company’s website: “The JSW Group is the largest producer of high quality hard coking coal in the European Union and one of the leading producers of coke used for smelting steel. Production and sale of coking coal and production and sale of coke and hydrocarbons constitute JSW Group’s core business.”

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