WARSAW, Poland ( Associated Press) – The death toll from accidents at two coal mines in southern Poland has risen to nine in recent days after four miners were brought to the surface and pronounced dead, officials said on Sunday. .
10 miners were missing after an underground earthquake and methane gas discharge at the Boryania-Zofiovka mine early Saturday. There are six miners missing, but there is no contact with them, and rescue teams continue their search.
Five workers were killed and seven are missing after methane explosions began Wednesday at the nearby Paniowec mine. The search for the missing was halted on Friday after new blasts injured 10 rescue workers late Thursday, some of whom were in critical condition.
Both mines are operated by Jastrzebska Spolka Veglova, or JSW, in the Jastrzeby-Zdrój region, close to the Czech border.
Most of Poland’s energy comes from coal, a proportion that has drawn criticism from the European Union and environmental groups concerned about meeting CO2 emissions and climate change targets. Most of the Polish coal mines are in the Southern Silesia region. Many rock are characterized by high presence of methane.
Poland is reducing its use of coal and recently Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki ordered a halt to coal imports from Russia and its ally Belarus – in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but reducing its reliance on Russian Also as part of Poland’s years-long campaign to energy sources.
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