Death toll in Czech mine explosion increases to 13

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis have offered their condolences to the families of the victims. The two leaders visited the mine on Friday.

“To our knowledge … there is a fire underground, very high temperature, very high risk of subsequent explosions,” Morawiecki said.

The Polish leader visited two injured miners at the University Hospital in the nearby city of Ostrava. One of them was in critical condition with burns over 50 per cent of his body, hospital spokeswoman Nada Chattova said.

Another miner was release after being treated in Karvina.

“I wish to express words of deepest sympathy to all the close victims of the mining disaster in Karvina,” Morawiecki said. “This is a huge tragedy for all Poles and Czechs. On this difficult day, we strongly show our solidarity and sense of national community.”

The explosion occurred about 800 metres (2,600 feet) underground.

OKD executive director Boleslav Kowalczyk said efforts to recover the bodies were continuing on Friday despite a fire in the mine.

Authorities have been investigating the accident.

Bohuslav Machek, spokesman for the Czech mining authority said the level of methane in the mine was at least 4.5 times the allowed level at the time of the explosion.

Easily ignitable methane is naturally present at black coal mines, posing a threat for miners.

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This story has been corrected to show that the mine is called CSM, not CSA.

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Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed.

Karel Janicek, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Death toll in Czech mine explosion increases to 13

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