A bag of firedamp gas, possibly due to the explosion that killed five miners in Asturias.

BarcelonaFive workers at an Asturian mine in Zarréu, Degaña (Asturias), died in an explosion this Monday, and four others were injured to varying degrees. The accident occurred at the Cerredo mine around 8:45 a.m. this morning, although the first call to the emergency services did not arrive until 9:32 a.m. According to the Spanish government delegate in Asturias, Adriana Lastra, the main hypothesis being worked on by the rescue teams is that a pocket of firedamp gas was behind the explosion. This gas is released from coal and causes explosions when it comes into contact with air.

These initial investigations contrast with the first call received by the Emergency Services of the Principality of Asturias (SEPA), which reported that the explosion was caused by problems with a machine. At the time of the incident, the victims were on the third level of the underground coal mine, several meters below ground. The workers had a permit to extract coal used in the manufacture of graphite. Only two people inside escaped injury.

The two most seriously injured workers were initially taken to the Villablino Health Center in Ponferrada (León) for severe burns. From there, one was transferred to another hospital. A third injured worker is at the Carmen y Severo Ochoa Hospital in Cangas del Narcea (Asturias) after suffering a head injury. The last, located inside the mine by rescue teams, was taken to the Central University Hospital of Asturias in Oviedo. The Asturias Fire Department, the Hunosa mine rescue brigade, and the Civil Guard were dispatched to the scene.

A mine with virtually no activity.

Opened in 2009 as one of the most modern mines in Spain, the Cerredo mine had been virtually inactive for seven years. However, last summer, the company Blue Solving obtained authorization to carry out a research project on alternative uses for coal. According to the Asturian Minister of Industry, Belarmina Díaz, "normal work was being carried out with a complementary research permit" at the site where the fatal accident occurred.

The interior of this mine is characterized by a tunnel several kilometers long that can accommodate heavy trucks. In fact, the last fatal accident inside the mine occurred after two workers lost control of a vehicle. On that occasion, one died and the other was injured.

One of the most serious accidents in Spain

The accident in Asturias is one of the most serious in recent Spanish history. In fact, only twice since 1990 have there been more fatalities than this one. The most serious accident to date also occurred in Asturias on October 14, 1995, when fourteen miners lost their lives following a firedamp gas explosion. In 2013, in León, six people died of poisoning due to a methane gas leak. In Catalonia, just two years ago, three geologists aged 28, 29, and 31 died. They died due to a landslide in a potash mine in SúriaThe rockfall trapped them 900 meters deep. Fifty years ago, also in Catalonia, one of the darkest episodes in mining history in the country took place. On November 3, 1975, in Berguedà, 30 workers died in the Fígols mine also due to a firedamp explosion.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his solidarity with the victims on social media. Sánchez also wished the injured a "speedy recovery" and thanked the emergency services, who continue the rescue efforts.