A ceremony was held in front of the Pniówek mine to open a memorial for deceased miners. The plaque commemorates 56 victims of mining disasters in the mine's 50-year history. Sławomir Polak, head of the OHS department, read out the names of the deceased. Next, in front of the commemorative plaque, flowers were laid by: Adam Rozmus, Vice-President for Te deputy CEO of JSW for Technical and Operational Matters, Jolanta Gruszka, Vice-President of the Management Board for Sales, Artur Wojtków, Vice-President of the Management Board for Employment and Social Policy, mine management, representatives of trade unions and families and colleagues of the tragically deceased miners.
Recall: on 20 April 2022, there was a methane explosion in longwall N-6 on the 1000 level, a quarter past midnight. There were 42 workers in the danger zone. During the operation, 39 workers managed to be evacuated.
After 3:00 a.m., a second methane explosion occurred. Seven workers, including a rescue squad, remained in the affected area. A day later, there was another methane explosion. The manager of the rescue operation decided to temporarily seal off the N-6 longwall area with isolation stoppings. The operation was discontinued. Nine miners lost their lives as a result of the methane explosions, and seven remained behind the stoppings that sealed off the fire zone from the other workings after the disaster. Last fall, their bodies were found.
In all, 16 miners and rescue workers were killed in the disaster. 30 people were injured.
