Polish coal mine blast kills 12 (Sept 18, 2009)

Twelve miners have been killed in a methane gas explosion at a coal mine in Ruda Slaska-Kochlowice, southern Poland, officials say.

The blast struck the Wujek-Slask mine on Friday morning, a spokeswoman for Poland's mines authority, Edyta Tomaszewska, told reporters.

She said 30 miners were taken to hospital. The blast occurred 1,050m (nearly 3,500ft) underground.

The miners were working more than a kilometre underground at the time.

Several of the injured have sustained severe burns, and medical staff have warned the death toll may rise.