Event commemorates 13 miners killed in explosion last year

A commemorative ceremony took place in Stonava in the north-east of the Czech Republic on Friday to honour the thirteen miners who died after a methane explosion at the ČSM hard coal mine exactly a year ago. Twelve of the dead were Polish nationals.

Among those attending the event were Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Polish ambassador to the Czech Republic Barbara Ćwioro, representatives of the OKD company, which operates the mine, and relatives of the victims.

The blast, which occurred about 880 metres below the ground, devastated some of the underground areas with poor visibility, obstructing the efforts of the rescue units.

Author: Ruth Fraňková