Four Killed In Georgian Mine Accident

Mining accidents are common in the former Soviet Union, where mines are often poorly financed and use old equipment. (file photo)

Georgia’s Interior Ministry says four miners were killed and six injured when the roof of a tunnel in a coal mine collapsed.

The ministry said in a statement that the accident occurred early on July 16 at the Mindeli mine in Tkibuli, about 200 kilometers west of the capital, Tbilisi.

According to the ministry, a methane explosion apparently caused the collapse in the tunnel.

An investigation was launched to determine whether safety standards had been breached, the ministry said.

In April, an accident in the same mine killed six and injured three miners.

The mine is operated by the Georgian company Sakhnakhshiri.

Mining accidents are common in the former Soviet Union, where mines are often poorly financed and use old equipment.