Accident at Slovenian state-owned coal mine kills at least one person, two remain missing

At least one miner was killed in an accident in a coal mine in northeastern Slovenia, while two others remain missing, authorities reported.

The incident occurred on Monday evening when water began rushing into the mine near the town of Velenje.

Chances that the two missing miners were still alive are slim, the Premogovnik Velenje Mine Director Marko Mavec told the Slovenian Press Agency on Tuesday.

The accumulation of silt and water in the mine made rescue efforts more difficult. As it stands, it is not clear what caused the accident in the mine that belongs to the state-owned Slovenske Elektrarne Group holding.

Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar called for a thorough investigation “so that similar tragedies can be prevented in the future and the safety of all miners ensured."

The Premogovnik Velenje mine predominantly supplies the Šoštanj thermal power plant — the country's only remaining coal-fired power station.

Slovenia is estimated to have around 1,244 million tonnes of lignite and brown coal deposits, with the highest concentration — 346 million tonnes — lying at Velenje according to Eurocoal.

The mine uses a method of extraction it established in 1947 called the "Velenje method", which, according to its website, entails extracting coal more than 500 meters below ground.

The technique also demands “expanding the extraction site above the protected area (above the roof supports) and thus exploiting the natural forces of breaking and crumbling of the coal layer.”

This is not the first time an accident at Velenje turned deadly. In 2003, two miners were killed in a pillar collapse.