(Reuters) – Rescuers recovered the body of a second miner on Wednesday after water and mud poured into underground tunnels at the Velenje coal mine in northeastern Slovenia, STA news agency reported.
They were still searching for a third miner trapped after hundreds of tons of the slurry tumbled into the tunnels of the mine, part of the state-owned Holding Slovenske Elektrarne Group, on Monday evening.
Mine officials said the rescue mission, in which about 80 rescuers are taking part in teams rotating in six-hour stretches, was risky as they have to manually dig and remove the debris, STA reported.
The cause of the accident has not been established yet but mining inspectors were investigating the site.
Production at the mine has been halted and will resume after the rescue mission is completed, Prime Minister Robert Golob said on Tuesday. It mainly supplies the Sostanj thermal power plant with coal.
Staff at the mine could not be immediately reached for comment.
(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Alison Williams)
