Date: March 10, 1906
Deaths: 1,060
Injuries: Over 1,000
Location: Courrieres, France
Lesson: This disaster is a reminder that mining is dangerous. So many people have either died or suffered from diseases caused by toxic gas or burns from fires while mining.
Interesting Fact: The mine explosion in France on March 10, 1906 is the worst mining disaster in Europe's history.
On the afternoon of March 9 a fire started in one of the "complex series of mines"(history.com) in Courrieres, France. Coal, dug up by men and boys, was mostly used for the manufacture of gas. History Channel goes on to say that the miners chose to close openings near the fire in order to reduce oxygen eventually killing the fire. What the miners were not aware of was that flammable gas found it's way in through fissures. Since there were so many other mines men went back to work the next day.
At 7 am on March 10, a spark triggered by the gas caused a huge explosion. Fire came shooting out all exits killing some people outside the mines. Even a roof of a mine office building was "blasted" off. As desperate as people needed help rescuers could not enter the mine due to the fire still burning and tunnels no longer stable. Even thou it was dangerous to enter a group of 40 men risked their lives in order to save others. All 40 men of the rescue group died when the tunnel the were traveling in collapsed.
In the end over a 1,000 people were killed. An even greater number were injured. Many of those victims suffered from major burns. History.com claims that there was so much "chaos" outside the mine that French soldiers had to step in for help. It wouldn't be until weeks later that all the bodies were found and identified.
Wow.. such a terrible accident. It sounds similar to the situation that happened this last year with the mine disaster.
ReplyDelete