Mine collapse in Serbia kills 8, injures 18

An accident in a coal mine in Serbia has killed eight miners and wounded 18 others.

The accident in the Soko coal mine, about 200 kilometres southeast of the capital Belgrade, occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Friday when part of the mine collapsed, releasing the methane gas inside and trapping the miners, state RTS television said.

Serbia's mining and energy minister said it appears the miners suffocated from too much methane gas. Officials said an investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened.

"Inspectors, police and all relevant authorities are at the scene, doing what is necessary to determine the cause of this tragedy," said Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihailovic.

MIhailovic visited the site on Friday and expressed condolences to the families of the victims, promising state help. She denied reports of an explosion.

"Unfortunately, eight miners suffocated," said Mihailovic.

The Soko mine has had several serious accidents since it started operating in the early 1900s. An accident in the mine in 1998 killed 29 miners. 

Drago Milinkovic, the Soko coal mine manager, said initial information suggested there was a "sudden release of methane" gas into the mining area.

"Soko coal mine is a dangerous coal mine, dangerous from the aspect of methane," he said. "Security measures are at the highest level in the coal mine, but this time there was a sudden release of methane and simply the monitoring and the equipment that were in place did not help."

Doctors in nearby Aleksinac, where injured miners have been brought, said most of the injuries are not serious. Town authorities declared a day of mourning to be held Saturday.

Near the mine, stunned locals stood in silence. One miner who identified himself only by his first name, Milan, said he usually worked in the overnight shift.

"I changed shifts because of my family," he said. "It could have been me."