Miracle in the Mines: Rescued Miner Found Alive After Poland Earthquake

A miner was found alive after going missing amid an earthquake at Poland's Rydultowy coal mine. The 3.1 magnitude tremor injured 17 and killed one. The miner, discovered two days later, was conscious and transported to the surface. Rescue efforts involved 78 miners in southern Poland's Silesia region.

A miner who went missing after an earthquake shook Poland's Rydultowy coal mine has been found alive more than two days after the accident that killed one and injured 17 other workers, local officials said Saturday. The office of the provincial governor of the Silesia coal mining region, in southern Poland, confirmed the miner's condition and reported he was being transported to the surface with an air ambulance standing by.

"This is fantastic news," provincial governor Marek Wojcik stated on TVN24. The head of the Polish Coal Mining Group operating the mine, Leszek Pietraszek, mentioned that rescuers located the 32-year-old miner at around 2 pm Saturday. He was conscious and able to communicate, although he was experiencing breathing difficulties. A doctor provided first aid and prepared him for the ascent.

On Thursday afternoon, a magnitude 3.1 tremor struck approximately 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) below the surface, with 78 miners in the vicinity. The seismic event caused rock ejection into a corridor, where the miner was later found. The incident has highlighted the dangers faced by miners and the resilience shown by rescue teams in such perilous conditions.