At least two people have been killed after a small 4.4-magnitude earthquake caused a mine collapse in southwestern Poland, local officials say. Six others remain missing and the death toll is expected to rise.
The earthquake, which happened at about 9:09 p.m. local time on Tuesday, was centered in the country’s southwest, about 345 kilometers (214 miles) southwest of the capital Warsaw. It struck at a depth of just 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), making it a shallow earthquake.
The earthquake caused a copper mine in the area to cave in, trapping 16 miners who were working some 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) underground. Nine of them were rescued and taken to area hospitals, where one of them succumbed to his injuries.
Rescue workers later discovered the body of a second miner, but seven other miners remained missing on early Wednesday morning. Rescue operations are continuing but authorities fear that the death toll will increase.
A similar accident happened in 2013 when a small earthquake caused a cave-in at the same mine, but in that case all 19 miners who were trapped were rescued with only minor injuries.
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