Yesterday, 5 May 2011, at 7:48pm at the beginning of the third shift, a methane ignition incident occurred at the N-12 longwall, seams 329/1 and 329/1-2, at the Krupiński coal mine, owned by Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa. The accident happened during preparatory work before starting to excavate coal. There were 32 miners in the risk area. Of those, 14 were injured, and the other miners left the area on their own. Eight of the 14 people injured in the accident are being hospitalised. Six of them, whose lives, according to physicians, are not in danger, are being treated at the Centre for Burn Treatment in Siemianowice Śląskie, while two other miners, with less serious injuries, have been taken to Provincial Specialist Hospital No. 2 in Jastrzębie Zdrój.

Six people, including two rescuers, are remaining in the risk area, i.e. the upper longwall drift, therefore the rescuers are continuing their efforts to find and evacuate all the people.

The rescue teams involved in the operation are made up of rescuers from JSW S.A. and the Regional and Central Mine Rescue Stations. The operation will continue until the last missing miner is found.

The rescuers managed to establish contact with the missing miners at around 9:35am.

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Three other miners have been transported to the surface and taken to the Centre for Burn Treatment in Siemianowice Śląskie.

The rescue operation is still under way to evacuate the remaining three miners.