Strong Seismic Tremor Hits Lubin Mine; Trapped Operator Rescued

A powerful seismic event struck the Lubin copper mine at 8:11 AM, trapping a machinery operator under rockfall until a successful rescue operation concluded at 1:00 PM.

Emergency Response at Lubin Mine

KGHM Polska Miedź reported that a tremor occurred at the Lubin Mining Division, prompting an immediate response from the Mining and Metallurgical Rescue Unit. Twenty miners were in the affected zone at the time of the incident.

Nineteen miners were evacuated successfully, but the operator of a mining machine remained trapped after his cabin was buried by falling rock. The rescue operation concluded around 1:00 PM when the operator was safely extracted.

Condition of the Miners

Mirosław Kuk, Director of the KGHM Communications Department, confirmed that the rescued operator is in good condition, sustaining only minor injuries. The operator and the nineteen other miners are currently under medical supervision.

Magnitude and Local Impact

The tremor, estimated at over 4.0 on the Richter scale, was exceptionally strong and felt by residents in Lubin and the surrounding area. While such magnitude is generally considered non-hazardous to surface infrastructure, it is classified as a significant event within mining operations.

Operations at the Lubin Mining Division

The Lubin facility is the oldest mine in the Polish Copper Belt, extracting ore rich in copper and silver. As of December 31, 2024, the Lubin-Małomice deposit holds over 319 million tons of copper ore, with an average copper content of 1.23 percent and silver content of 53 grams per megagram.