Miners trapped underground after 4.8 earthquake shakes Polish work-site

A mine in western Poland had to start a rescue operation after it was hit by strong shock waves, trapping some miners beneath the surface.

While 32 workers were at the Rudna mine in Polkowice at the time the tremor hit, the majority were able to quickly evacuate to safety. 14 miners were initially trapped and had to be extracted by rescue teams, one of which remains unaccounted for.

There have been no reports of any deaths as of yet, but several of the miners were injured. The work-site itself also suffered major damage.

The quake has been measured as 4.8-magnitude at the depth of 10 kilometers by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC),with the shock reportedly felt both in the Polish province and in parts of Germany and the Czech Republic. Residents of the surrounding region reported buildings and skyscrapers shaking enough to jostle the furniture inside.

Some earthquake cartographers speculated that the tremors were caused by the mining operations.

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