Coal mine explosion in Georgia kills one, injures 8

Tkibuli mine explosion

On January 30, late in the evening, an explosion occurred at a coal mine in the city of Tkibuli in Western Georgia. Eight people were injured in the accident and one died. The condition of one of the eight victims is assessed as serious.

According to the General Director of the Tkibuli Clinic, Yuri Eliashvili, the clinic received 9 people in total. According to him, everyone is in a difficult situation, one of them could not be saved.

A representative of the Saknakhshiri company, which owns the mine, told Formula TV that there was an “incident” at the Tkibuli mine, the details of which are being investigated by the Labor Protection Service.

The Interior Ministry also launched an investigation under Article 240 of the Criminal Code, which provides for violations of safety regulations during mining, construction or other work.

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Coal mining in independent Georgia resumed in 2006. Currently, two of the four mines are operating – Mindeli and Dzidziguri. The mines are managed by the Saknakhshiri company, owned by Georgia Industrial Group Ltd. These two mines are operating at a meager load compared to the Soviet period.

Every year more and more people leave Tkibuli – in Soviet times, 22,000 people lived here, while today the local population is less than 10,000 (according to the 2014 census).

The Tkibuli miners held a large-scale protest in 2016. More than a thousand striking miners demanded a 40% increase in wages and better working conditions.

The miners said that every day they walk tens of kilometers underground, but at the same time they have problems with uniforms, showers and food.