Igniting coal dust blamed for explosion that killed ten miners, injured two
Ten miners were killed and two injured in an explosion in the Jas-Mos coal
mine in Jastrzebie in southern Poland. The accident, which destroyed a 100
meter stretch of tunnel, occurred at 4:30 am yesterday morning, 700 meters
underground. Prime Minister Leszek Miller, who visited the scene, expressed
his shock. "I am devastated. Young people have died. They leave wives,
mothers and children," he told reporters. He promised an urgent inquiry and
said the government would ensure victims' families received financial help.
Investigators said the blast seemed to have been caused by coal dust
igniting. "It's hard to say what the exact cause was because conditions
underground make it impossible to conduct a full investigation," said
Wojciech Bradecki, head of the State Mining Agency (WUG), adding, "We think
that this was a blast of coal dust and not methane." (Zycie, p.1; Reuters)
A.Z.
