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Collapsed Bosnia mine rescue called off with five workers still buried Collapsed Bosnia mine rescue called off with five workers still buried
(about 1 hour later)
One by one, rescue workers pulled 29 miners out of a trouble-plagued coal mine on Friday after it had collapsed a day earlier in central Bosnia. Five men remained buried underground as officials halted rescue efforts. Emergency workers have rescued 29 miners from a Bosnian coal mine after a small earthquake triggered a gas explosion on Thursday, but five others remain buried.
Their faces smeared with coal dust and lined with worry and exhaustion, the men emerged from the Zenica mine to cries of joy from their families after spending the night trapped more than 500 meters (1,600 feet) below the ground. One by one, the freed men emerged on Friday from the Raspotocje mine, in the central town of Zenica, to cries of joy from their families after spending the night trapped more than 500 metres (1,600 ft) below the ground. The men looked tired and shaky but were not seriously injured.
The men looked tired and shaky but were not seriously injured. Esad Civic, the mine's manager, said the rescue effort had been halted after the 29 miners were pulled out. Rescuers said they were unable to reach the remaining men.
Esad Civic, manager of the Zenica mine, said the rescue effort had been halted after the 29 miners were pulled out. Rescuers say they have not been able to reach the remaining five men. Alija Celebic, a retired miner, waited for his son Bego, who was among the 29 who escaped. "He was hurt in the mine just two weeks ago, and now this," Celebic said. "All is good as long as he is alive."
Alija Celebic, himself a retired miner, waited for his son Bego, among the 29 who escaped. The union leader at the mine, Mehmed Oruc, said two tunnels collapsed on Thursday evening after a gas blast was triggered by a minor earthquake. He said 22 other miners managed to escape from the pit shortly after, two of whom were injured.
"He was hurt in the mine just two weeks ago, and now this," Celebic said. "All is good as long as he is alive." This was the third such incident at the mine this year. Sixteen miners were hurt in two previous gas explosions, the most recent less than four weeks ago. The mine was also the site of one of the greatest mining disasters in Bosnian history, when 39 workers were killed in a blast in 1982.
The union leader at the coal mine, Mehmed Oruc, said two tunnels in the mine collapsed on Thursday evening following a gas explosion triggered by a minor earthquake near the town of Zenica. Families and union leaders accused the mine's managers of responding poorly to the latest collapse, particularly in initially claiming that only eight workers were trapped inside. Union leaders said authorities brought in rescue machinery some seven hours after the blast.
He said 22 other miners managed to get out of the pit on Thursday after the tunnels collapsed, two of whom were injured. Civic, who rejected the claims, insisted that such accidents could not be avoided. But he conceded that the mine – once among the most modern in Europe – was now far below the world standard.
This was the third incident at the Zenica coal mine this year. A total of 16 miners were hurt in two previous gas explosions, the most recent less than four weeks ago. The mine is also the site of one of the greatest mining tragedies in Bosnia's history, when 39 miners were killed in a gas explosion in 1982. Muris Tutnjic, one of the miners who escaped on Thursday, returned to the site on Friday to show his support. He said the underground blast "just blew us away". "I was alone … Thank God I managed to pull myself out. My colleagues … they were some 200, 300, maybe 400 metres away from me; they got covered."
Families and union leaders accused the management of responding poorly to the latest collapse, particularly in initially claiming that only eight workers were trapped inside the pit. Union leaders said authorities only brought in rescue machinery seven hours after the blast.
Mine manager Civic, however, insisted that "mine accidents cannot be avoided".
Still, he conceded that the Zenica mine – once among the most modern in Europe – was now far below the world standard.
Muris Tutnjic, one of the miners who escaped on Thursday, came to the site on Friday to show his support. He said the underground blast "just blew us away."
"I was alone … Thank God I managed to pull myself out," Tutnjic said. "My colleagues … they were some 200, 300, maybe 400 meters away from me, they got covered."