Pniówek Mine. Rescue operation resumed. Rescuers still haven’t found the miners

Another search operation began at 6 a.m. on Saturday. A JSW spokesman announced on Sunday that rescuers are still looking for miners missing in the Pniówek mine.

– The rescue operation is carried out in very difficult thermal conditions. Rescuers broke through to the N-12 longwall heading and began initial penetration of the excavation. No missing persons were found in the explored section of the excavation. In the section of the N-12 pavement from the puncture towards the N-6 wall, penetration is not possible due to the lack of ventilation and high temperature and humidity – about 40 degrees Celsius and close to 100 percent humidity – Siemieniec said.

The next stage of the operation is already planned, during which rescuers will introduce a flue pipe into the N-12 drift to ventilate and cool the section of the excavation. Once appropriate climatic conditions are obtained, the search will be resumed.

So far, over 50 rescue teams from Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa and the Central Mining Rescue Station in Bytom have taken part in the action.

It is not known how long the search for the miners will last, because the progress of the rescuers’ work depends on the conditions they encounter during the rescue operation.

The disaster in the Pniówek mine occurred on April 20, 2022, in the N-6 longwall, deck 404/4+405/1, 1,000 meters underground. At quarter past midnight, methane exploded there. There were 42 employees in the danger zone. 39 workers managed to withdraw.

After 3 o’clock there was a second methane explosion. Seven employees, including the rescue team, remained in the endangered area. A day later, another methane explosion occurred. The rescue operation manager decided to temporarily shut down the area of ​​wall N-6, rooms 404/4+405/1, using insulating dams.

The action was interrupted on May 2.