Date: July 16, 2018
Location: Tkibuli, Imereti (Georgia)
Address: 4300
Type: Potential Dust Explosion
Fuel: Coal Dust
Industry: Coal Mining (Natural Resources)
Equipment: Tunnel
Company: Saknakhshiri Company
Previous Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Four dead, six injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Saknakhshiri opened for business in August 2006. It is owned by the Georgian Industrial Group Ltd., which also runs several energy and power generation companies.
Saknakhshiri (translates as Georgian Coal) is the country’s only coal mining company. Its operations include:
- Coal mining
- Coal handling
- Run-of-mine coal preparation
- Electricity generation
It mines a medium volatile bituminous coal which contains considerable amounts of methane. At present Saknakhshiri’s yearly coal output is around 350,000 tons, but in the coming years, it plans to increase to close to one million metric tons annually.
Description of Coal Mine Explosion:
On July 16, 2018, Georgia Today reported an explosion at the Mindeli mine in Tkibuli, which left four miners dead and six severely injured. According to Reuters, a tunnel ceiling had collapsed due to a pressure bump, or an explosion caused by thermal pressure.
The injured miners were hospitalized and one was transferred to nearby Tbilisi in a critical condition. A doctor from the Tkibuli hospital later told the media that three more men had been sent to the Tbilisi Burn Centre due to life-threatening burns and bruises.
On July 17, the news agency OC Media reported that Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhadze announced operations in the Mindeli mine would be halted until a criminal investigation and an comprehensive engineering study was concluded. Some called for a permanent closure of the mine, but a number of miners protested, fearing they would be left without employment. The son of one of the men killed in the explosion told reporters, “[If the mine were to close], consider Tkibuli abandoned. The best option is to put workplace safety in order.”
National news agency Agenda.Ge reported that, in the meantime, the Prime Minister declared July 16 a day of national mourning. He ordered the national flag on every state building across the country to go down today for those who died during the tragic accident and stated that the Mindeli coal mine would be closed until the investigation was over. The employees of the mine were to be given their monthly salary during the time the mine was closed.
Two days later, on July 18, Georgia Today reported that a team of labor inspectors under the Ministry of Economy completed a nine-hour inspection at the Mindeli mine. The group reported that they found a number of violations. An investigation was promptly launched under the second part of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
Previous Incidents:
The Mindeli coal mine has been the site of multiple tragic accidents. On May 9, 2017, the online portal JAM News reported a shaft collapse that sent four miners plummeting 400m to their deaths. The Georgian Interior Ministry commenced criminal proceedings against Saknakhshiri Company under Article 240 of the country’s Criminal Code, which addresses safety violations during execution of mining, construction or other works and the pro-safety ‘Auditorium 115’ movement initiated a rally outside the State Chancellery to demand more stringent safety standards.
Less than a year later, on April 5, 2018, Democracy & Freedom Watch reported another collapse at the Mindeli mine. Six miners died and three more were injured. Sakhnakhshiri attributed the incident to a shock wave triggered by a so-called rock burst — a spontaneous fracture of rock that can occur in mines, but others weren’t so dismissive. The incident drew condemnation from President Margvelashvili, along with labor activists, trade unions, and miners.
According to Georgia Today, on April 15 a group of miners sent Saknakhshiri a list of demands that included a safe working environment, proper labor conditions, and immediate dismissal of those who were in charge at the time of the recent incident. The company’s response was that no safety conditions that been breached: a huge amount of air pressure caused the collapse, and “it is impossible to predict such things.”
Sources:
Georgia Today
JAM News
OC Media
Reuters
Democracy & Freedom Watch
Agenda.Ge