“Send rescuers in a zone so dangerous would be an irresponsible decision,” said Edward Pazdziororko, Vice President of the JSW Group, which controls the coal mine.
Le Monde
The coal mine leaders in Pnowek, in Pawlowice, located in southern Poland, where an accident did on Wednesday several deaths, announced Friday, April 22 the abandonment of the rescue operation, judged ” dangerous “for the life of rescuers.
They explained to have recorded during the night from Thursday to Friday of new Gragasou who have made ten extra light injuries among the rescuers who tried to install a new ventilation duct at the bottom of the well, deep of about 1 000 meters.
“At this time, the area is dangerous to conduct the operation of reaching minors at the bottom,” said Edward Pazdziororko, Vice President of the JSW Group, which controls the mine. Also, according to Mr. Cudny, “Send lifeguards in such a dangerous area would be an irresponsible decision”.
It must first “stabilize” the ventilation of the zone, then isolate it from the rest of the mine. This process is a “monthly question”, insisted the Chief of Rescue Services, Piotr Buchwald.
Five Dead and 7 missing
Five people, including a rescuer, died and seven are missing after two methane explosions on Wednesday. Twenty people were hospitalized, including six for severe burns.
According to JSW, a first explosion of methane took place soon after midnight in an area where 42 minors worked. A second explosion took place a little later during the rescue operations and touched the rescuers.
Poland, which always depends on coal for about 70% of its energy, has experienced other mining accidents in recent years.
In March 2021, two minors were dead and two others were injured in an accident in the Myslowice-Wesola mine in southern Poland, while in 2018, five others had died in the Zofiowka mine belonging to JSW. In 2021, the mining sector employed nearly 80,000 people in Poland.