6 Spanish miners die in accident
AAP
October 29, 2013, 4:36 pm
Six miners have died in a northern Spanish coal mine after an apparent leak of methane gas AFP
Six miners ranging in age from 35 to 41 have died after an apparent leak of methane gas at a coal mine in northern Spain's Leon region.
Five other miners were injured, including one who was airlifted to a hospital in Leon city, where he is listed in serious condition.
The gas leak on Monday at the Pozo Emilio del Valle mine in Pola de Gordon was Spain's deadliest mining accident since 1995.
The mine is operated by financially troubled Hullera Vasco-Leonesa, which blamed the deaths and injuries on a "sudden" escape of flammable gas.
Recent Pozo Emilio retiree Javier Gallego said his former colleagues told him the dead and injured miners were overcome after breaching a pocket of gas.
