Strong tremor kills 3 miner at Czech coal mine

A strong tremor hit a coal mine in the Czech Republic shortly before noon on Friday, killing three miners.
Marek Sibrt, spokesman at the OKD-operated Karvina coal mine, said that another nine miners who were working underground suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The tremor occurred at 11:44 when 12 miners were working 900 metres underground on a crosscut extension. Two Czechs and one Pole died at the site.
The injured miners have been sent to nearest hospitals. Spokesman for the Moravian-Silesian rescue service Lukas Humpl said that the nine injured miners aged from 34 to 52.
Experts said the tremor is a result of tension developing in mines' exploited and refilled localities. Residents of nearby towns reported saying they also felt the shock.
Sibrt said that the miners were doing maintenance work when the tremor occurred, adding that mine tremors have been and will always be a part of mining.
"Of course, we do our utmost to prevent tremors, by preventive blasts, for example, but sometimes nature is stronger than us," Sibrt was quoted as saying.