Petrila Mine disaster
Encyclopedia
On November 15, 2008, 12 miners died after two explosions at a mine in Petrila
, one of six coal mining cities in the Jiu Valley
region of Hunedoara County
, Romania
. On November 24 another miner died at Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest raising the death toll to 13.
Saturday killed eight miners and four emergency workers, officials said.
Prime Minister Călin Popescu Tăriceanu said the explosion that killed the miners in the coal-rich Jiu Valley
occurred Saturday afternoon at a depth of 800 feet (250 meters).
Later, a second explosion killed the four rescue workers, said Ilie Păducel, mayor of the town of Petrila
where the mine is located.
Hundreds of relatives gathered at the mine after the first explosion, Realitatea TV
reported. Romanian President Traian Băsescu
said he would travel to the site later Saturday.
Mine officials said the explosions were believed to have been caused by an accumulation of methane gas. Officials have banned anyone from going down the mine for the next 48 hours.
Eight injured miners are being treated for burns. Officials said about 100 miners were working at the time of the first explosion.
Another complained: "I don't know where to go, nobody tells us anything, I don't know whether I should stay here or go to the hospital."
Men stand outside the Petrila
mine waiting for news.
Some 100 people were working in the mine at the time of the first blast.
Mining was once a thriving industry in Romania
, employing almost half a million people, and miners were a feared political force in the 1990s
.
But the industry has struggled in recent years to compete against cheaper imported coal and cleaner forms of energy.
In 2001, a Romanian mining explosion left 14 people dead.
Petrila
Petrila is a town in the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County, Romania. It is located near the junction of the East Jiu with Taia and Jieţ Creeks.The town administers four villages: Cimpa, Jieţ, Răscoala and Tirici.-History:...
, one of six coal mining cities in the Jiu Valley
Jiu Valley
The Jiu Valley is a region in southwestern Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains...
region of Hunedoara County
Hunedoara County
Hunedoara is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 485,712 and the population density was 69/km².*Romanians - 92%*Hungarians - 5%*Romas - 2%*Germans under 1%....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. On November 24 another miner died at Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest raising the death toll to 13.
Background
Two explosions in a coal mine in southwestern RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
Saturday killed eight miners and four emergency workers, officials said.
Prime Minister Călin Popescu Tăriceanu said the explosion that killed the miners in the coal-rich Jiu Valley
Jiu Valley
The Jiu Valley is a region in southwestern Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains...
occurred Saturday afternoon at a depth of 800 feet (250 meters).
Later, a second explosion killed the four rescue workers, said Ilie Păducel, mayor of the town of Petrila
Petrila
Petrila is a town in the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County, Romania. It is located near the junction of the East Jiu with Taia and Jieţ Creeks.The town administers four villages: Cimpa, Jieţ, Răscoala and Tirici.-History:...
where the mine is located.
Hundreds of relatives gathered at the mine after the first explosion, Realitatea TV
Realitatea TV
Realitatea TV is a Romanian news television network. The channel is distributed by many cable operators in Romania and Moldova. Its main owner is Romanian businessman Elan Schwartzenberg....
reported. Romanian President Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
said he would travel to the site later Saturday.
Mine officials said the explosions were believed to have been caused by an accumulation of methane gas. Officials have banned anyone from going down the mine for the next 48 hours.
Eight injured miners are being treated for burns. Officials said about 100 miners were working at the time of the first explosion.
Relates
"We don't know anything, he is down there in the mine, that's all we know, we know absolutely nothing of him," one relative said.Another complained: "I don't know where to go, nobody tells us anything, I don't know whether I should stay here or go to the hospital."
Men stand outside the Petrila
Petrila
Petrila is a town in the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County, Romania. It is located near the junction of the East Jiu with Taia and Jieţ Creeks.The town administers four villages: Cimpa, Jieţ, Răscoala and Tirici.-History:...
mine waiting for news.
Some 100 people were working in the mine at the time of the first blast.
Mining was once a thriving industry in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, employing almost half a million people, and miners were a feared political force in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
.
But the industry has struggled in recent years to compete against cheaper imported coal and cleaner forms of energy.
In 2001, a Romanian mining explosion left 14 people dead.