Three people would have died in the Cabanasses potash mine, in the municipality of Súria (Barcelona), due to a landslide this Thursday morning. The workers, geologists from the Iberpotash company, were found inside the galleries, 900 meters deep. The Generalitat Bombers confirmed to the ACN agency the three deaths after being trapped. By mid-afternoon, the bodies have been rescued and identified.
Of the three victims in the installation, two were students of the Escola Politècnica Superior d’Enginyeria de Manresa (EPSEM), dependent on the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, where they were studying a master’s degree. All three were also geologists by profession. They prospected inside the mine to continue advancing. The deceased were 28 years old, 29 and an age also around 30 years old, although without specifying.
The President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, has gone to the scene of the accident, and has transferred his condolences to the relatives, friends and colleagues of the victims, and has thanked the work of the Fire Department of the Generalitat for “stabilizing the gallery where the detachment has occurred and to recover the body of the young people”. “It has been a difficult job, because it has had to be guaranteed that the emergency services could have all the security to be able to remove the bodies. The recovery of the bodies is highly complex,” he added. “We are next to the miners who have seen that their colleagues are no longer there. Today is a day of accompaniment and recognition of the work of the whole world,” he added.
The firefighters were notified shortly before nine o’clock and eleven crews were quickly activated, which included members of the Special Actions Group (GRAE) and a medicalized helicopter, to initially try to rescue those affected. The Mossos d’Esquadra and two land units of the Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) also attended, as well as a team of psychologists in view of the seriousness of the accident.
The priority for the troops deployed is now to rescue the bodies of the victims, as explained by the Mossos d’Esquadra spokesperson, Monterrat Escudé. “Families are suffering brutal moments of anguish.” The work is expected to be complex given the instability of the area. At present, the mine rescue team and firefighters are expected to secure the area where the accident occurred, so that the underground unit supply can access and carry out the visual inspection. On the other hand, an investigation has also been opened to discover the circumstances of this accident.
In an appearance at noon, the Minister of the Interior of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Joan Ignasi Elena, has indicated that it has not yet been possible to access the place of the accident, for which reason the death of the workers cannot be definitively confirmed. although “we fear the worst”. “The rescue teams are working to secure the area, it is still early to draw conclusions about the causes,” he snapped.
For his part, the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torent, recalled that his Ministry is in charge of the controls and management of mines and that the control “was periodic”. For this reason, he recalled that the general sub-directorate of mines had carried out an inspection at the damaged facilities “three weeks ago” and that this was closed “without the opening of any file”. “The conclusions of the investigation will be transferred to the corresponding court and the corresponding administrative channel will be opened, although it is still very early,” he reiterated.
It is the second fatal accident in Súria in recent years. In 2013, two workers aged 49 and 37 died when the roof of the gallery fell off while performing maintenance tasks on an extraction machine.
Iberpotash is responsible for the extraction, treatment and sale of potassium salts in two Bages mines, the one in Cabanasses and the other in the municipality of Balsareny (Vilafruns mine), where only maintenance is carried out. In the latter, in 2020, two workers also lost their lives in three weeks.
Iberpotash is part of ICL Iberia, a subsidiary of the ICL group, with headquarters in Israel. The company has decided today to suspend the activity in the two mines. Less than a year ago, ICL Iberia carried out an evacuation drill at the same damaged mine to promote safety at mining facilities, a campaign shared on social media.
All of the company’s industrial development is concentrated in Súria, with the construction and start-up of a crystallization plant, a flotation plant and a potash compaction plant that have been added to the plant in recent years. Between 800 and 900 people work and it is estimated that in this morning’s shift there would be between 200 and 300 employees. “The security measures are not what they have to be,” protest the unions.
The technique used, that of bolting, consists of metal anchors and a metal mesh to support the roof. This work is carried out by subcontracted companies, something that the unions have long rejected.
Experts consulted by La Vanguardia explain that, unlike salt mines, potash mines are less compact when mixed with mud. Therefore, they need to be more reinforced in order to avoid landslides. The protocol in these cases indicates that when the technicians discover an incident in the mine, they must go back to where there is a telephone point and notify the outside, always without leaving the car.
The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonés, lamented the loss of the three workers during the control session in Parliament and expressed “support” for the families. “We are working from the emergency services giving support to the company’s own services, which are also acting in this tragic accident.”
