By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two miners were killed after a methane eruption at a coal mine in southern Poland, authorities said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at the Pniowek coal mine in the Silesian coal region, in a newly excavated tunnel nearly 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) underground, one of the deepest working levels at the site, TVP World reported.

According to Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa (JSW), the state-controlled company that owns the mine, sensors detected a sudden release of methane gas mixed with rock mass shortly after 5 pm local time (1600GMT).

Ten miners were working in the tunnel with a high-capacity roadheader machine at the time of the eruption. Eight workers managed to withdraw on their own, while contact was lost with two others.

Rescue teams searched the area for around six hours before locating the missing miners. A doctor at the scene pronounced both men dead.

The victims were aged 40 and 41, and each had more than 10 years of experience in the mining industry, the company said.

Their deaths bring the number of mining fatalities in Poland this year to 15, including 12 in hard coal mines, according to industry data.

Pniowek is considered one of Poland’s most methane-prone coal mines, a factor that increases the risk of underground explosions.

A special commission has been appointed to investigate the cause and circumstances of the incident.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed on US social media company X his condolences to the families, saying the company’s management had assured him that relatives were receiving psychological and financial support.

Energy Minister Milosz Motyka also conveyed condolences and pledged assistance to the families.