Rescuers begin pulling trapped workers out of collapsed mine

(5 Sep 2014) Rescuers on Friday were pulling out some of the 34 miners who had been trapped deep inside a coal mine that collapsed in central Bosnia.
Tired, their faces smeared with coal dust, the men came out of the Zenica mine one by one, after spending the night more than 500 metres (1,600 feet) below the ground.
Many were met by anxious family members relieved to embrace their loved ones.
Ambulances were parked outside the mine entrance to take the miners for medical examinations.
More than two dozen emerged looking relatively well, but there was no firm information on the fate of those still in the mine.
The union leader at the Zenica coal mine said two tunnels in the mine collapsed on Thursday evening following a gas explosion triggered by a minor earthquake that had hit the area near the town of Zenica.
He said 22 other miners managed to leave the pit after the tunnels collapsed, two of whom were injured.
The Zenica coal mine was the site of one of the greatest mining tragedies in Bosnia's history, when 39 miners were killed in a gas explosion in 1982.
The latest incident was the third in the mine this year.
A total of 16 miners were hurt in two previous gas explosions, the most recent less than four weeks ago.
Families and the union leaders have accused the management of poor response to the accident, particularly in initially claiming that only eight people were trapped inside the pit.


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