A 32-year-old electrical section foreman spent 50 harrowing hours trapped in extreme conditions following a seismic event at the Rydułtowy mine on Thursday, July 11.
Not Life-Threatening
Fortunately, his injuries are not life-threatening, though he has been transferred to an orthopedic unit due to a spinal injury according to SE.
The quake at the Rydułtowy mine occurred with 78 miners present in the area.
Seventy-six of them safely surfaced, but one miner tragically lost his life. The other missing miner endured 50 hours in grueling conditions, remaining fully aware of the situation.
When rescuers finally reached him, the 32-year-old was coherent and communicating logically, despite being trapped in an atmosphere with methane levels approaching 5%, temperatures exceeding 32 degrees Celsius, and very high humidity.
Aftershocks Complicates
Rescue efforts were complicated by multiple aftershocks, which forced rescuers to retreat to safety several times. Initially, the miner tried to escape on his own but was immobilized, likely due to his injuries.
Rescuers reached the trapped miner on Saturday, July 13, from a new direction that had previously been inaccessible due to hazardous atmospheric conditions in the mine.
Overnight, between Friday and Saturday, rescuers managed to introduce enough air into the area, allowing them to begin their penetration of the approximately 2300-meter long workings.
Simultaneously, rescuers from the initial direction manually cleared a 70-meter long, narrow rescue path through rocky debris to reach the miner.
Airlifted to Hospital
Transporting the miner to the surface took several hours, after which he was airlifted by the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service to the St. Barbara Provincial Specialist Hospital No. 5 in Sosnowiec.
Hospital spokesman Tomasz Świerkot told Super Express,
"The miner does not have injuries that threaten his life. He is cardiovascularly and respiratorily efficient, in logical contact, and his condition is stable."
Initially, the miner underwent examinations and full diagnostics in the hospital's emergency department.
He was later moved to the orthopedic unit for further treatment decisions.
