The cave-in happened around 3:30 am some 870 metres (2,800 feet) underground in an area where 15 miners were working, said Rajmund Horst, the deputy head of the company that runs the mine

He said 11 miners were immediately brought to the surface with various injuries. Nine of them remain hospitalized.

Rescuers located another miner who was conscious and was being brought out of the mine. Six teams of rescuers were working in the area.

The accident happened near the coal face, an area especially exposed to cave-ins or explosions of methane gas, which is present in the rock in many Polish coal mines.

In 2023, 15 miners were killed in on-the job accidents.