WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Rescuers resumed an underground search for a missing miner in southern Poland Friday after a powerful tremor shook the Rydultowy coal mine the previous day, killing one miner and injuring 17 others.
Aleksandra Wysocka-Siembiga, spokeswoman for the Polish Coal Mining Group, told The Associated Press that security conditions underground have improved to allow the search to resume during the night. Rescuers had to pause their work late Thursday due to the threat of repeat tremors and high presence of methane gas in the mine.
Seventy-eight miners were in the area when a magnitude 3.1 tremor struck about 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) below the surface early Thursday. Most were brought to the surface quickly, including 17 who were hospitalized immediately after the quake. One miner was declared dead as he was brought out of the mine.
Tremors in coal mines resulting from stress building in the rock can lead to rock bursts, or sudden ejections of rocks that can be dangerous to the miners.
The Polish Coal Mining Group has suffered several deadly accidents this year. In May, three miners died in a cave-in at the Myslowice-Wesola colliery, and one was killed at the same mine in April.
Two miners lost their lives in separate accidents in 2019 and 2020 in the Rydultowy mine, which was opened in 1792 and currently employs about 2,000 miners.
Coal mining is considered hazardous in Poland, where some coal mines are prone to methane gas explosions or to cave-ins. Excavation in older mines goes deep into the ground in search for coal, increasing the job’s hazards. The coal industry is among Poland’s key employers, providing some 75,000 jobs.
Last year, 15 miners lost their lives in accidents.
An ambulance heads into the Rydultowy coal mine near the city of Rybnik, in southern Poland, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Officials say that two Polish coal miners remain unaccounted for and at least 15 have been injured after a powerful tremor shook the Rydultowy coal mine. Rescuers are struggling to reach dozens of others. (AP Photo/Katarzyna Zaremba-Majcher)
An airborne ambulance near the Rydultowy coal mine near the city of Rybnik, in southern Poland, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Officials say that two Polish coal miners remain unaccounted for and at least 15 have been injured after a powerful tremor shook the Rydultowy coal mine. Rescuers are struggling to reach dozens of others. (AP Photo/Katarzyna Zaremba-Majcher)
Rescuers transport an injured miner to an airborne ambulance near the Rydultowy coal mine near the city of Rybnik, in southern Poland, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Two Polish coal miners were unaccounted for and at least 15 were injured after a powerful tremor shook the Rydultowy coal mine about 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) underground on Thursday, officials said. Rescuers struggled to reach about two dozen others. (AP Photo/Katarzyna Zaremba-Majcher)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia on Sunday launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, described by officials as the largest over the past months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians.
The attack came as fears are mounting about Moscow’s intentions to devastate Ukraine's power generation capacity ahead of the cold winter.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had launched a total of 120 missiles and 90 drones in a large-scale attack across Ukraine. Various types of drones were deployed, he said, including Iranian-made Shaheds as well as cruise, ballistic and aircraft-launched ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 140 air targets, Zelenskyy said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
“The enemy’s target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children," Zelenskyy said.
Two others were killed in the Odesa region, where the attack damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted power and water supplies, said local Gov. Oleh Kiper.
The combined drone and missile attack was the most powerful in three months, according to the head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration Serhii Popko.
Russian strikes have hammered Ukraine’s power infrastructure since Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, prompting repeated emergency power shutdowns and nationwide rolling blackouts. Ukrainian officials have routinely urged Western allies to bolster the country’s air defenses to counter assaults and allow for repairs.
Explosions were heard across Ukraine on Sunday, including in capital Kyiv, the key southern port of Odesa, as well as the country’s west and central regions, according to local reports.
The operational command of Poland’s armed forces wrote on X that Polish and allied aircraft, including fighter jets, have been mobilized in Polish airspace because of the “massive” Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine. The steps were aimed to provide safety in Poland's border areas, it said.
One person was injured after the roof of a five-story residential building caught fire in Kyiv’s historic center, according to Popko.
A thermal power plant operated by private energy company DTEK was “seriously damaged,” the company said.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Lviv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian rocket attack in Lviv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference during the European Political Community (EPC) Summit at the Puskas Arena in Budapest , Hungary, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
