Man dies in Boulby mine blast
A man's died in a suspected gas blow-out at Boulby mine in East Cleveland in the early hours of the morning.
A man's died after a suspected gas blow-out at Boulby mine.
Mine owners ICL UK have released this statement:
"ICL UK has announced that one man has died in an incident which occurred underground early this morning at the Boulby mine in East Cleveland. The incident is believed to have involved a gas blow-out—a sudden and powerful release of gas.
"The mine’s rescue team has been dealing with the incident and emergency services are at the scene. Her Majesty’s Mines Inspectorate has also been informed.
"Company staff will be offering all possible support to the man’s family. All other workers in the mine at the time of the incident were safely evacuated.
"Further information will be issued as soon as it becomes available."
Emergency services and the mine's rescue team are working at the scene.
Earlier, Labour MP Tom Blenkinsop, who represents Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said: "There has been a serious incident believed to be a gas explosion and we are waiting for further details about what has happened.''
His "thoughts and prayers'' were with the workforce.
There was an underground fire at the mine in April, which left seven workers affected by smoke and they were taken to hospital for checks.
Last year the company announced job losses in a "significant restructuring'' of its operations, including moving from producing potash to Polysulphate fertiliser.
It is 1,400m deep and its tunnels go far out under the North Sea.
Our reporter Hannah Smith is at the scene, we'll bring you updates as we get them.
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Labour MP, Tom Blenkinsop, today (17th June 2016) spoke of his alarm at the over the death of a worker at the East Cleveland Boulby Potash Mine in the early hours of this morning.
Tom said:
"The miner who died in the explosion was one of my constituents who lived in East Cleveland.
My immediate thoughts - and I have no doubt the thoughts of the entire local community - are with his family and friends.
We cannot allow this death to go unmarked. Over the last decade and a half, the mine has been a safe working environment, certainly compared to years past where accidents were more frequent.
However, In the space of just a few months we have seen two tragic incidents. I am concerned that this must not become a pattern. Mines legislation requires a full investigation, and I need to be reassured that this will indeed happen.
I would also want to be reassured that recent redundancies at the mine have not altered day to day working practices to the extent that risk may have been allowed to creep back in. In the near future I will want to meet with both the mine owners, ICL Ltd, and the mine unions on these issues."