The first blast killed 8 people in the 19th-century mine in Petrila, a small town in the mining region of Jiu Valley.A short time later, four people were killed in a second blast while trying to reach the bodies of the victims.
Bogdan Gabriel Nitu, spokeswoman for Hunedoara county police, said:"The tally at the moment is 12 dead and 9 injured."All activity has been called off, rescue teams pulled out and only bodies remain in the mine".
Several people were treated for extensive burns. Local media reported that the explosion was caused by an accumulation of gas and took place more than 3,200ft (1,000m) underground. It is the worst accident in Romania's outdated mining industry since an explosion killed 14 in 2001.
Mining was once a thriving industry employing almost half a million people in Romania and miners were a feared political force in the 1990s. But the industry has struggled to compete against cheaper Russian coal and to keep customers in a more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly age. Restructuring has closed many mines and the Jiu Valley is now an isolated area plagued by environmental degradation and badly in need of investment.
Sursa: Telegraph
Accidentul minier de la Petrila in care si-au pierdut viata 12 persoane, in presa internationala.
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