This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/6175362.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| No survivors in Polish mine blast | No survivors in Polish mine blast |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Rescuers at a Polish coal mine have found the bodies of 15 miners, ending hopes of finding any survivors from an underground explosion on Tuesday. | Rescuers at a Polish coal mine have found the bodies of 15 miners, ending hopes of finding any survivors from an underground explosion on Tuesday. |
| It takes the final death toll to 23, making this the worst mine accident in Poland for many years. | It takes the final death toll to 23, making this the worst mine accident in Poland for many years. |
| The accident happened at Halemba mine in Ruda Slaska, about 300km (190 miles) south-west of Warsaw. | |
| The mine shaft had been closed in March because of high gas levels, but the men were retrieving expensive equipment. | |
| Rescuers were working in extremely difficult conditions Zbigniew GoldsteinRescue expert Accidents dog Polish mines The team of miners, aged between 21 and 59, had been sent to retrieve equipment worth $23m (17.9m euros; £12.1m), the company said. | Rescuers were working in extremely difficult conditions Zbigniew GoldsteinRescue expert Accidents dog Polish mines The team of miners, aged between 21 and 59, had been sent to retrieve equipment worth $23m (17.9m euros; £12.1m), the company said. |
| It is not clear whether the men died in the initial blast or whether they died afterward, rescue officials said. | It is not clear whether the men died in the initial blast or whether they died afterward, rescue officials said. |
| "This brings to an end this very sad day," said a spokesman for the state-run coal company, at the scene. | |
| Dangerous rescue effort | |
| President Lech Kaczynski, who visited the site on Wednesday, met grieving family members and pledged a full investigation into the accident. | President Lech Kaczynski, who visited the site on Wednesday, met grieving family members and pledged a full investigation into the accident. |
| Efforts to save the men had been hindered by bad underground conditions. | |
| Work had to be suspended for several hours on Wednesday amid fears of another explosion after rescuers encountered high concentrations of methane gas. A lack of oxygen and temperatures reaching 40C also hindered the effort. | Work had to be suspended for several hours on Wednesday amid fears of another explosion after rescuers encountered high concentrations of methane gas. A lack of oxygen and temperatures reaching 40C also hindered the effort. |
| Rescue efforts had been hampered by fears of a second blast"Rescuers were working in extremely difficult conditions," said Zbigniew Goldstein, a main adviser to a mine rescue centre based in nearby Bytom. | |
| "We had methane, we had poisonous gases, high temperatures, high humidity, water threats, structural changes after the explosion. Everything that can happen down there." | |
| Tuesday's blast was probably caused by methane gas, officials said. | Tuesday's blast was probably caused by methane gas, officials said. |
| The mine is in Silesia, the heartland of the Polish coal industry. | The mine is in Silesia, the heartland of the Polish coal industry. |
| Safety conditions in Polish mines have improved since communist times, correspondents say, but unions have often complained of poor investment in the industry. More than 100 miners have died since 2003. | Safety conditions in Polish mines have improved since communist times, correspondents say, but unions have often complained of poor investment in the industry. More than 100 miners have died since 2003. |
| An explosion at the Halemba pit in 1990 killed 19 miners. | An explosion at the Halemba pit in 1990 killed 19 miners. |