18 miners who were trapped inside the “Trepca” mine have now exited safely, KosovaPress reports.
Around 50 miners were initially blocked inside the Stan Tërg mine in Mitrovica after a fire broke out during the night, damaging power supply transformers and preventing the elevator system from functioning.
The fire occurred around 01:00 and also damaged the backup transformer, according to the head of Trepca’s Supervisory Board.
The head of the Supervisory Board of Trepca provided details about the fire in Stan Tërg:
“There was a fire last night around one o’clock, I think. It damaged the transformers we have behind the wall. The transformer burned, firefighters came, but the large fire also damaged another transformer that was on standby as a backup. At the moment, 18 workers remained inside the mine; some are younger, some older, and they could not get out. A power supply bypass is currently being repaired, and another line is also being fixed to restore electricity to the mine, so we can then activate the elevator to bring the workers out,” he said.
He added that two miners had mild health concerns, while rescue teams remained on standby.
“According to the information I have, two people are not feeling well, but nothing serious. The rescue team is on standby. We also have our rescue team, and they are delivering food and, if necessary, can intervene. So far, no intervention has been needed, but we are in constant contact with them via phone. 29 people have already exited the mine. 18 remain in different levels underground.”
The director of the Stan Tërg mine, Shyqyri Sadiku, stated that miners who were in stable condition exited through the emergency exit, while some of those still inside are responsible for operating pumping systems.
“We also received assistance from KEK teams and other companies, including private ones. Management has also called the rescue team, which is on standby and ready to enter the mine whenever necessary. We have been supplied with food and medicine to support the miners as needed,” he said.
He added that there were no injuries, aside from physical exhaustion after exiting the mine on foot from deep underground, noting that climbing from 800 meters underground via vertical stairs is extremely difficult, risky, and stressful.
