WARSAW (Reuters) -Four people have died in an accident at the Sobieski mine in Jaworzno, southern Poland, a spokesperson for the State Mining Office (WUG) said on Tuesday.
WUG spokesperson Anna Swiniarska-Tadla said that based on the most recent information she had received, at 1700 GMT, a rescue operation was underway at the mine.
State-run news agency PAP quoted Piotr Strzoda from WUG as saying the accident was caused by a pipe bursting as a team of six workers were flushing it out. He said the accident took place at 1430 GMT.
“While the pipeline was being filled with water, it burst uncontrollably, as a result of which three people died on the spot,” he was quoted as saying.
WUG received information that the fourth person had died at 1710 GMT, Strzoda said.
The Sobieski mine is owned by energy company Tauron. Tauron’s press office could not immediately be reached for comment outside office hours.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish, Karol Badohal; editing by Christina Fincher and Richard Chang)
