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A miner removing roof support bars was killed after being hit by falling rocks in an oil shale mine in northeastern Estonia Monday morning.
Miner killed in pit roof collapse in NE Estonia
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The roof collapsed on the worker at 8:15 a.m., causing his death. The serious occupational accident happened in the Estonia mine of Eesti Energia Kaevandused AS in Vaike-Pungerja village in the territory of the Maetaguse municipality, the Labor Inspectorate said.
The mining company, a subsidiary of the state-owned energy group Eesti Energia, identified the victim by his first name as tunneling worker Valeri, born in 1959.
"According to tentative information, pit roof collapsed in underground section Number 1 of the Estonia mine during the removal of anchor bolts, as a result of which a tunneling worker, a man born in 1959, was killed on the scene. More details will be established in the course of observation of the site of the accident," Tiit Tabor, investigator with the Labor Inspectorate, said.
Notified of the accident by the co-worker paired with the victim, a mine rescue unit of Eesti Energia Kaevandused was the first to arrive at the scene, but was unable to resuscitate the victim.
The mine rescue unit transported the victim to the surface, where he was pronounced dead by an ambulance crew. Eesti Energia said its own experts, the police and the Labor Inspectorate were looking into the cause of the accident.