Final death toll in copper mine tragedy rises to eight

Rescue workers were unable to free remaining trapped workers overnight, and, consequently, the final death toll at the mine, located near Polkowice in southwestern Poland, totalled eight miners, Polish press reports stated on Thursday morning. “Thus, the outcome of this tragic tremor is eight casualties,” Rudna mine director Paweł Markowski was quoted as saying in the press. “The rescue operation lasted for 24 hours. We have done everything to save the miners, unfortunately we lost,” Markowski added. He said that the tremor, located 1,500 meters below the ground’s surface, was KGHM’s biggest tragedy in the past 55 years. KGHM said the Rudna mine, in operation since 1974, had 11 shafts reaching a depth of 1,244 metres. Polish PM Beata Szydło, cancelled the government’s weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday to visit the mine.