After running the rescue operation for eleven days, the rescue workers managed to find the last miner and transport his body during the night. “This is an enormous tragedy for all of us. A tragedy that has consumed the lives of 5 people. This is an accident that has not been encountered thus far in Jastrzębia Spółka Węglowa’s mines. Our colleagues, brothers, miners, fathers and sons have departed. We share a bond of solidarity with all their families; we are with you. There are no words to convey the pain, sorrow and suffering”, said Daniel Ozon, CEO of JSW and added: “At the same time, I would like to express my admiration for the two rescued miners. Today, I am not afraid to say that that was a miracle. Their determination, intuition as miners, knowledge and above all their great fortune enabled them to be here with us. The fact that they managed to survive underground by crawling half a kilometer means that each one of them has a new brother.”
On 5 May 2018 the most powerful rock burst in the history of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa took place in the Zofiówka Section. 250 miners were working 900 m underground at that time. Seven of them were trapped. That very same day rescue workers reached two injured miners who were taken to Regional Specialist Hospital no. 2 in Jastrzębie-Zdrój.
One day after the accident rescue workers reached two miners on the H-2 roadway. They were 200 m from the epicenter of the shock wave. The subsequent days of the rescue operation failed to produce any good news. The intersection of the H-10 and H-2 roadways became flooded. To penetrate this region, rescue workers first had to pump out the water using a set of pumps powered by compressed air. Since the methane hazard was present the entire time, rescue workers could not use more efficient electrical pumps. After running the operation for a week, the rescue workers pulled out another two miners from the flooded area and three days later they found the last miner who was in the very epicenter of the shock wave.
This was the most difficult rescue operation in the history of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa. Nearly 2,500 people took part. Stone by stone the rescue workers manually reached the roadways that had been destroyed by the rock burst. As is always the case during such rescue operations, the rescue workers had one single purpose: to find their colleagues alive. They rescued two; five miners could not be helped. “I would like to thank all the people who helped us during the rescue operation. I would like to extend special thanks to the rescue workers from the entire Silesian region. They worked eleven days underground to release the trapped miners. I would like to thank the entire team that worked under enormous stress and to all those persons who were with us the entire time. I would like to thank the media for their accurate reporting and for showing their respect to the families. Let us pray for these miners, God Bless”, said Daniel Ozon, CEO of JSW.
The Silesian Voivode implored people not to hold any artistic or entertainment events on 17 May 2018 in the entire region as a sign of mourning for the tragically deceased miners. He also instructed all the national government authorities operating in the region to fly the country’s flag at half mast.
Two brattices to counter explosions are presently being built in the site where the event occurred to isolate the region. These measures are being taken as part of the rescue operation. They are slated to be completed at the end of the week.