Miner airlifted to hospital after coal block collapse at Ziemowit mine in Poland

Underground operations in Lędziny

On the morning of Saturday, 3 October 2026, a serious industrial accident took place at the Ziemowit coal mine in Lędziny, situated within Poland's Silesian Voivodeship. The extraction site operates as part of the broader KWK Piast-Ziemowit mining facility under the state-owned coal company Polska Grupa Górnicza. The incident occurred at approximately 09:00 at an underground working level roughly 650 meters below the surface. Underground operations at that moment were focused in longwall 927 within coal seam 209, specifically in the sector between powered roof support sections 29 and 30. A crew of miners was carrying out tasks to secure the coal face sidewall in preparation for upcoming repair and maintenance work on a longwall shearer loader.

The coal detachment incident

While personnel were carrying out the sidewall securing procedures, a large mass of coal detached from the exposed face. Official measurements confirmed by Polska Grupa Górnicza established that the fallen coal block measured approximately 1.5 meters in length, 0.5 meters in width, and 0.4 meters in height. The dislodged block struck a 41-year-old miner and pinned his body directly against the metallic frame of the longwall face conveyor. Other mining workers present in the adjacent area intervened immediately to free their colleague, administering essential first aid on site before initiating his evacuation from the excavation area.

Surface transfer and air rescue

Following the on-site first-aid measures at the 650-meter depth, response personnel transported the injured miner through the mine's shaft network to the surface facilities. Upon reaching ground level, he was transferred to a medical crew from the Polish Medical Air Rescue service (Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe). An air ambulance helicopter then airlifted the patient to the Upper Silesian Medical Centre located in the Ochojec district of Katowice. Company representatives stated that the miner remained conscious throughout the underground transfer, the handoff at the surface, and the subsequent aerial transport to the medical center.

The worker was provided with necessary assistance and was transported by an air ambulance helicopter to the hospital in Katowice-Ochojec with suspected internal injuries.

Medical condition and investigative review

The injured worker is 41 years old and has been employed at the Ziemowit mining operation since 2017. Medical personnel at the hospital admitted the patient under suspicion of internal injuries, while detailed diagnostic findings and specifics regarding his medical treatment plan remain pending. Polska Grupa Górnicza spokeswoman Ewa Grudniok confirmed that the employee retained consciousness during every stage of the rescue operation.

The miner was conscious the entire time.

Following the transfer of the injured employee, relevant mining supervision authorities and safety services initiated an official inquiry. The investigation focuses on clarifying the exact sequence of events, working conditions, and technical factors that caused the coal mass to break away during the maintenance preparation.