Eight dead in Serbia coal mine blast

BELGRADE, April 01 (AFP): At least eight miners were killed and around 20 were injured on Friday when a blast occurred at a coal mine in southern Serbia, causing it to collapse, the state broadcaster reported.

The blast occurred at around 4:00 am at a pit near the mining town of Aleksinac, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) said.

"We have so far hospitalised 19 injured miners," said Goran Vidic, the director of the Aleksinac hospital, adding that three were in serious condition.

Two miners were also being treated in the nearby city of Nis, RTS reported.

At least 49 miners were believed to have been working in the mine at the time, but all have been accounted for. First responders dispatched to the scene managed to rescue about a dozen people who were trapped, according to RTS.

A team of investigators is now in the mine to establish the cause of the accident.